


Basic Human Contact

by PilotIsis



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cannon?, Cas and Dean are making popcorn, Destiel - Freeform, Gabriel Lives, Gabriel has no idea what he's doing, Guy Love, Honestly?, I am a lazy piece of trash, I may change the rating later, I'm not sure what this will turn into, M/M, SO, Sabriel - Freeform, Sam finds it hilarious and adorable, Slow Burn, What Cannon, and then, he's back bitches, i don't even know what happened, idk - Freeform, it spiraled, like really really slow burn, thats all it is, there will be suffering, this was supposed to be a short, touch starvation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2018-10-26 08:56:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10783596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilotIsis/pseuds/PilotIsis
Summary: Gabriel notices that Sam is a little touch starved and seeks to remedy that. Along the way he discovers he might just have been a little touch starved too.





	1. 2am

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this was supposed to be a short but I realised after the first thousand words that that wasn't gunna stick. Please bear with me as this goes up, updates will be random because life is a thing that happens and writing is hard.

 

 

The day Gabriel woke up was average. There wasn’t an explosion; there was no fanfare whatsoever. In fact, it was a little over-cast and even rained lightly as he lay on the hill just outside of town. It was still misting down when Gabriel finally opened his eyes.  

 

“Really?” he muttered sourly. 

 

“Couldn’t have put me back in sunlight? No? Had to be rain?” 

 

He rolled onto his side and stood up, dusting grass off himself as he did. Of course he received no answer. He looked up at the clouds dryly.  “Oh what? Not talking to me now? Whatever.” 

 

He spun in a circle,  seeing nothing but grass and trees, picked a random direction and started walking. There was an odd tugging under his sternum, well his vessel's sternum anyway, and it began to ease more and more the further he walked. As he meandered along, Gabriel stretched his wings out behind him. His dad hadn’t been kidding when he said he’d be as weak as a kitten at first. His grace was within reach but small and barely there. All six wings were there too but they felt weak and floppy, like over cooked noodles. Walking it was then.  

It wouldn’t have been so bad except that by the sound of the thunder the rain was going to get heavier soon. As another boom rumbled through the clouds overhead Gabriel looked up and spoke again. 

 

“Is this your way of telling me to hurry up? Cause it’s not gonna work…” 

 

As he spoke the heavens opened and rain began sluicing down in cold sheets. Gabriel glared. 

 

“Screw you, asshole,” he huffed. 

 

Stubbornly, he hunched his shoulders against the rain and continued without speeding up. It was several hours before the tugging sensation disappeared completely near the entrance to an abandoned plant of some sort. By then Gabriel’s limbs were numb, his lips were blue and he was shaking so hard his teeth clacked together. It was a new sensation to him and he decided it wasn’t one he ever wanted to feel again. 

 

“Don’t tell me these assholes are squatting in abandoned government buildings now,” he muttered through chattering teeth. Thunder roared and lightning flashed behind him as he pounded on the door. 

 

“Alright, alright, keep your hair on old man. I’m here already.” 

 

He pounded on the door again. He really hoped he woke those two chuckleheads up and made them come to the door in their nightgowns. It’d serve them right for getting him dead all those years ago. Not that he was holding a grudge or anything.  

 

He was halfway through his third bout of tormenting the metal beast of a door with his mighty fist when it swung open to reveal a sour-faced Sam Winchester muttering something about assholes and it being 2am. 

 

 Huh. 2am. He hadn’t realised it was so late. Oh well, it meant he had the perverse pleasure of watching the Sasquatches face slowly morph from half-conscious bitchface to angry bitchface and then abject shock as the reality dawned on him that he had a dead Archangel dripping in his doorway. Gabriel allowed the poor guy a solid 30 seconds before the chattering of his teeth and the violent shaking of his limbs forced him to jolt Sam into action. 

 

“Well are you gunna get me a towel, Sasquatch? It’s freezing out here.” 

 

It worked like a charm. Sam jerked back as though he’d been slapped and swung the door wide.  

 

“Holy shit! Um, yeah uh… Come in! Just, uh, wait right here, I’ll grab you something to dry off with. Just… wait right there…” 

 

He stammered, holding his hands out in front of him as though he were telling a dog to ‘Stay’. As he walked away he kept looking back as though to reassure himself that he wasn’t dreaming. 

 

* * *

 

Sam hadn’t precisely been sleeping, but he had been lying in bed wishing he was, so he felt justified in being incredibly pissed when, at two in the morning after a monstrously shitty case involving witches, some idiot began hammering on the door to the bunker.  

 

The last thing he wanted to do was get up, grab his gun and answer the door prepared for a fight but he did it anyway. He rolled out of bed as a second round of hammering started up on the door, grabbed his gun off the side table and ambled towards the entrance. Just because he was cranky and tired, Sam decided to walk nice and slow in the hopes it’d piss off whoever thought knocking at two am was a good idea. 

 

“Ridiculous…” He muttered as he approached the door and the hammering started up again. “It’s two in the morning! If this isn’t a major emergency or the end of the world I’m shooting this asshole on principle…” He trailed off as he pulled the door open. 

 

Sam was well aware that his face went through several obvious changes as Gabriel smirked at him from the doorstep, and that the little shit was enjoying every second that Sam was off balance. 

 

He stared a moment more before Gabriel spoke and jerked him back to himself, asking for a towel and claiming to be freezing. Maybe he really was cold though because the more Sam looked at him the more he noticed. The smaller man, well Archangel, was shivering uncontrollably and his lips had gone a worrying bluish colour. That combined with his words physically jerked Sam into action, he stammered something about getting him a towel and motioned for him to stay there. 

 

As he walked away, Sam brought his hands in front of himself out of sight and jabbed his right thumb into his left palm, pressing hard on the old scar there and glancing over his shoulder. Gabriel still stood there dripping. He pressed harder and looked again, this time Gabriel had his back to Sam, pulling the heavy bunker door closed against the still pouring rain. He looked away again and pressed harder still, glancing back one last time as he headed to the linen closet. It was a long time since he’d hallucinated Lucifer, but the real thing had gotten into his head before too, and Sam hadn’t exactly been sleeping well the last few nights, but there Gabriel still stood, a puddle formed at his feet and beginning to drip down the stairs and off the landing in a slow trickle. 

 

He dragged two big, thick towels off the shelf and headed back to the landing. Halfway there he turned back, berating himself, grabbed a third towel for the floor and ducked into his room to get an old pair of sweatpants, a Tshirt, and an old hoodie from college. The clothes would undoubtedly be too big for the Archangel's small vessel, but they would be better than the dripping jeans and jacket combo he was currently wearing. Sam suspected that if Gabriel could mojo himself dry and warm it would have been the first thing he’d done. So some of Sam’s old things would have to do, ill-fitting or not. When he came back into the entryway Gabriel had sat on the top step and was chafing his hands together, watching the rainwater dribble down the stairs and off the landing onto the floor below. He seemed to be deep in thought, but he looked up without surprise as Sam made his way up the stairs. 

 

* * *

 

Gabriel puffed warm air onto his numb fingers and chafed his hands together in an attempt to bring the feeling back. Sam seemed to be taking forever to get towels. How big was this place anyway? He looked around properly from the landing and had to admit to being impressed. The Winchesters appeared to have actually done well for themselves, hiding out in some fancy bunker rather than an abandoned power plant as Gabriel had first thought. He sat with a wet squelch on the top step and grimaced as the cold seeped through his soaked jeans. He wiggled his toes and grimaced again, his boots were so full of water they made swishing noises. He wished, not for the first time since the rain started, that he had enough mojo to dry off already. Oh his grace was there, and coming back in a slow, steady trickle but the operative word there was slow. He chafed his hands together more in the hopes of regaining some feeling as he felt Sam coming towards him at last. 

 

“Finally, Gigantor! What took so long? I’m freezing my ass off up here, which I  might add, isn’t something I’ve experienced before and would like to never  experience again.” 

 

“Sorry,” Sam murmured, handing Gabriel the two bigger towels and putting the clothes on a dry patch of ground. “I got halfway back with those,” he gestured to the towels in Gabriel’s hands, “when I realised I needed another towel to mop up your puddle and something dry for you to put on so I doubled back.” 

 

Gabriel dropped one towel on top of the clothes and wrapped the other around himself revelling in the little warmth it afforded him. He was a little stunned that Sam was being so nice at two in the morning. Sam gave him a small smile and shrugged.  

 

“Just dry off and get changed, you can leave your wet stuff on the landing and we can deal with it later.” He started back down the stairs to mop up the impressive puddle of water that was under the landing. “Come down when you’re dressed and I’ll find something warm for you to drink to bring your body temperature up.” 

 

Gabriel stuck his head over the railing and looked down at Sam, who was mopping up the mess downstairs. This was odd. He hadn’t expected such a calm welcome. Perhaps, he mused as he tugged the sodden boots off his feet, it was because Sam was still half asleep. As his boot came free a veritable river of water poured out of it with a splash and more water ran off the step to the floor below. There was a shout and Gabriel stuck his head through the railing to see that the stream of water had not, in fact, hit the floor, but had instead ended its fall on poor Sam’s head. Gabriel cringed as Sam looked up in exasperation. He held up the dripping boot and pointed to it needlessly. 

 

“Sorry, Sambo, my boots are a little damp. Maybe step back while I get the other one off.” 

 

Sam just shook his head and stepped back to watch Gabriel yank his other boot off and another stream of water pour out onto the step and run down onto the floor. He supressed a laugh as Gabriel’s socked foot squelched on the step as he stood up to dry off properly peeling his soggy socks off one at a time as he went, hopping comically. Sam shook his head, picked the towel back up, and went back to his task of moping up the renewed mess. 

 

Gabriel, for his part, snuck another glance over the railing to make sure Sam was busy before he dropped the damp towel on the floor, quickly stripped out of his rain soaked clothing and wrapped the second towel around himself. He dried off fast and turned to the clothes Sam had brought up to him. He had to roll the pants up three times and the hoodie came down almost to his knees, but he was warm and dry so he wasn’t complaining. He used the towels to mop up the water that was left on the steps and the landing and hung them over the railing when he was done. Letting the sleeves of the hoodie hang down over his hands, he padded down the stairs to find Sam coming back into the main room carrying a balled up pair of socks.  

 

“Figured your feet might be cold considering the amount of water there was in your shoes.” 

 

Gabriel scrunched his toes against the stone floor. “Uh, yeah thanks…” 

 

Sam motioned for Gabriel to follow, so he trailed behind him as he led the way to a large, warm kitchen. Sitting on a chair, he un-balled the socks and tugged them onto his chilled feet. They, like the other clothes, were far too big, but they provided blessed warmth, so Gabriel wasn’t going to complain. He sat cross-legged on the dining chair and looked over at Sam who was, by all appearances, making tea. 

 

“So tell me, Samalamb, why are you being so nice to lil ol’ me?” 

 

Sam came to sit opposite the Archangel and handed him one of two mugs of, yep, tea. Gabriel put his hands around the cup and had to supress an involuntary moan as the heat seeped through the fabric still hanging down over his hands. 

 

Sam grinned and took a sip of his tea. “Because it’s two am and pouring rain and you clearly don’t have enough power to take care of yourself right now. Which means you’re so low on juice you’re nearly human, and for someone like you that’s gotta be a big adjustment. So yeah, I’m too tired to be a jerk and you’re too tired to be an ass. We can talk about it at a more decent hour, sure, but for now? Lets just get you dry and warm enough that your lips aren’t blue anymore, ok?” 

 

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Sam and sipped at his tea. This time he did groan as the blessed heat filled first his mouth then his chest and belly as he swallowed. 

 

“Ok fair enough, but we didn’t exactly part on good terms, kiddo.” 

 

“Well, no, but a lot has happened since then, so holding a grudge isn’t exactly high on my list of things to do.” 

 

Gabriel nodded and they sat in silence drinking their tea for a while. Upon closer inspection Gabriel realised that Sam really did look exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes and a large purple bruise on one cheek that looked like it hurt. 

 

“Rough case?” 

 

Sam looked up, surprised. “Uh, yeah. Witches man.” 

 

Gabriel made a noise of agreement. Now that he was warm he felt odd. It was as though someone had filled his vessel's limbs with lead weights. He said as much and Sam chuckled and took their mugs and rinsed them. 

 

“You’re tired. I’ll take you to one of the spare rooms so you can sleep it off, come on.” 

 

He motioned and started heading out of the kitchen. It was cooler in the hall, but not cold, Gabriel noted as he trailed along behind Sam. It felt like they walked forever. This whole “Slow rebuild” shtick his dad had set in motion was bogus. Walking should not take this much effort! Did humans feel like this at the end of every day?! No wonder some of them got grumpy. 

 

Finally Sam stopped and pushed a door open, motioning Gabriel inside. There was a bed and side tables off to the left and a desk over to the right, and when Gabriel turned back to look at Sam, he saw a sink and mirror against the wall to the left of the door. Sam was smiling faintly. Probably lack of sleep sending him frootloops, Gabriel decided. 

 

“There’s extra blankets and some fresh towels in the chest at the foot of the bed if you need them and mine and Dean's rooms are just across the hall. I’m on the left,” he pointed, “if  you need me. Make yourself at home and sleep as long as you need. I’ll see you in the morning, alright?” 

 

With that he turned and shuffled across the hall and through the door to the left, and, just like that, Gabriel was alone.  

 

Quietly he shut the door and turned to the bed. It wasn’t big by his standards, but it was an impressively large king bed with a soft mattress, plenty of pillows and what felt like a feather down quilt. Cocooned in the warmth of the guest bed and snug in his borrowed clothes, Gabriel had one last nagging thought. It was going to be one heck of a conversation to try and explain all this to Sam and Dean and to convince them to let him stay while dear ol’ dad’s plan played out. Whatever the hell that was. Jackass hadn’t even seen fit to explain more than g _o find Sam and Dean, they’ll be able to make the_ _rebuild faster and smoother so_ _n._ ‘Son!’ Like Gabriel was some child throwing a tantrum, not an Archangel who had died for this shmuck's creations and been rebuilt only hours ago! 

 

He rubbed his feet together and looked up at the ceiling. 

 

“I really hope you know what you’re doing, pops,” he murmured, dragging out the ‘e’ for emphasis, then he shut his eyes and was asleep before he had another thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to omg-i-cannot-even the amazing badass who made the title art that now adorns this fic!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody loves a shopping trip right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my GOD It's chapter two! look, I don't even know, titles clearly aren't my forte.

Awareness came back to Gabriel slowly this time. First he was aware of warm weight pressing down on him and the weight of his limbs resting against each other and against the mattress. Then he was aware of the cooler air on the side of his face not pressed into the pillow. So this was how it felt to wake up when you were mostly human. Not so bad really. Then he became aware of a pressure in his lower abdomen. No!  

 

“That’s playing dirty, ol’ man,” he muttered without moving an inch.

 

Sooner than he would have liked the need to urinate became so pressing that he was forced to leave his comfy cocoon of warmth. He sat up and put his sock-covered feet on the rug-covered floor beside the bed, shivering slightly at the change in temperature.

 

“Toilet…” he muttered to himself as he stood. “Where the heck am I gunna find the toilet?”

 

He paused and looked to the right and left. He blinked. Had there been a door there last night? Or had he just been too tired to notice it? He shuffled his feet in their too big socks over to the door on the wall between the sink and the bed and tried the knob. Not only did it open, but it opened to reveal a tiny bathroom containing nothing but a toilet. Gabriel nearly jumped for joy and made quick use of the facilities. Business taken care of, he washed his hands and splashed a little warm water on his face. So sue him, he’d experienced being cold enough for his taste, thanks very much, and he wasn’t going to subject himself to it needlessly. There was hot running water and, by Dad, he was going to use it .  

 

Finally he figured he’d better face the music, but it was chilly, so he shamelessly dug through the box at the foot of the bed and tugged out one of the extra blankets to wrap around himself like a fuzzy, navy coloured robe. Pulling the hood of the oversized hoodie over his head and the sleeves down over his fingers, Gabriel wrapped himself in his big blue blanket and left his room in what he hoped was the direction he and Sam had come from the night before.

 

He was soon encouraged to feel Sam and Dean nearby and continued trekking. Had it taken this long last night? After what felt like a long time the hall opened up into the kitchen, v _ictory!_  thought Gabriel. Sam and Dean were sitting across from each other at the table talking in low voices.

 

“Mornin muchachos!” Gabriel crowed as obnoxiously as possible just to see what kind of reaction he’d get. What he got was a glare from Dean and bitchface from Sam. He grinned to himself. “Coffee in that pot still hot Sam-a-lamb?”

 

Sam shook his head. “Yep, and the mugs are in the cupboard above the sink…” he trailed off as Gabriel gave him a dark look. It took a moment to sink in that the cupboard would be too high for Gabriel to reach and then he looked a little sheepish. “Do you want me to…”

 

“No!” Gabriel held a hand up for silence, clutching his blanket closed with the other. “No I’ll do it my damned self!”

 

He took a moment to plan his ascent and then boldly climbed onto the bench, opened the cupboard, removed a cup, deposited it beside himself on the bench and hopped down. He looked at Sam with a smug grin; he’d managed that without dropping his blanket or falling on his ass and all without any mojo.

 

Dean looked back and forth between his brother and the apparently-not-dead Archangel.

 

“Either of you two chuckleheads wanna tell me what’s going on here?”

 

Gabriel pulled a chair over to sit at the end of the table where he could see both Winchesters as Sam turned back to his brother, shrugging.  

 

“I have no idea, dude. He just showed up here dripping wet and totally outta juice at, like, two in the morning. So I dried him out and let him sleep. Figured questions could wait till we’d both got some shut-eye.”

 

Wait, _what?_ Gabriel blinked at Sam. “How do you know I’m outta juice? I could be totally juiced up and ready to kick both of your butts right now!”

 

Sam just looked at him. "Dude, you showed up here so cold your lips were blue and your teeth were chattering, and proceeded to sleep for eight hours. You have nothing in the tank.”

 

Gabriel glared. “Whatever.”  

He was a little embarrassed that it had been so obvious. Dean was doing the 'tell me what the hell is going on now or I’m gunna start hitting things' face at both of them so Gabriel piped up again.  

“So… Wanna know what’s going on, kiddies?”

 

Both men made identical 'get on with it' faces and Gabriel took it as his cue to continue.

 

“So here’s the thing. Apparently, since talking to you two chuckleheads about it -thanks for that by the way - dear ol’ Dad has been gradually putting lil ol’ me back together. It’s a long and difficult process and he got bored, so he’s set the final stage on auto repair. Meaning I am here and breathing in all my gorgeous glory," he struck a pose before continuing, “but my wings are like limp noodles and my Grace is tiny and mostly inaccessible till it regenerates a bit. So until that happens – Samalamb, correctomundo, well done - I might as well be human for all the power I’ve got.”

 

There was silence for a moment before Dean spoke. “And you thought coming _here_ to _us_ was a good idea?”

 

“Well, to be totally honest, no, but Dad did, so it’s where I ended up. Apparently, being around people will bring me back up to snuff a whole lot quicker." This was technically true though Chuck had actually said something like, s _pend time with them, Gabriel. Form relationships. Get a hug for crying out loud! Angels were always meant to be tactile creatures, same as humans. You guys seem to have forgotten your own natures!_ But Gabriel wasn’t going to tell the Winchesters that his dad had basically told him to flock to the Winchesters and nest. And he hadn’t “forgotten his nature”, thank you very much; he’d just buried it for a while. There was no way in hell the Winchesters were going to let Gabriel behave like his nature demanded, but maybe he could get away with a few elbow jabs here and shoulder pats there, and for the rest of his recovery, proximity and interaction would be enough. It wouldn’t be as effective as cuddling or nesting and having a nap together but it’d do the job. While Gabriel had been wandering in his head Sam and Dean appeared to have had a discussion and come to a conclusion. Dean pushed himself up from the table and stalked away.  

Gabriel blinked owlishly at Sam. “Uh, so… can I stay then?”

 

Sam ran a hand down his face. “Yeah you can stay, just… please don’t antagonise Dean?”

 

“I make no promises that I can’t keep, Sammoose, but I’ll try.”  

Sam nodded. Gabriel sat sipping his coffee. He didn’t think Sam was going to speak again so he jerked in surprise when Sam coughed to get his attention.

 

“I uh, I put your things in the dryer," he said, a little awkwardly, "they should be ok for you to wear in a half hour or so.”

 

Gabriel blinked. This made no sense! Sam should hate him. After all, he’d been an ass to the guy! And here he was, letting him stay in his home and doing nice things for him.  

“Thanks.”

 

Sam looked at him for a moment then half-smiled. “I can’t believe you’re actually wearing a blanket in the kitchen.”

 

“Shut up,” Gabriel muttered. “I don’t want to be cold again ok? Being cold sucked.”

 

Sam huffed an, 'ok, ok, sorry' on an almost laugh, failing to hide his grin, so Gabriel suspected that he wasn’t even remotely sorry. The comfortable silence was broken by a gurgling sound that had Gabriel looking around in confusion, and Sam laughing at him.

 

“Ok, how about I get you something to eat, so your stomach stops growling, and by the time you’ve eaten your clothes should be dry.”

 

That sound was from his own body? What?  Gabriel covered his shock and confusion over the thought by slapping a grin on his face. “Sounds like a plan, Sam-I-am.”

 

A full meal and a trip to the laundry later Gabriel’s stomach had stopped growling and he was dressed in his own clothes, with the addition of Sam’s hoodie which he refused to give up, claiming it was cold and his jacket was designed for making him look pretty, not keeping him warm. Sam hadn’t fought him terribly hard for it, apparently it was an old college hoodie and it was a little snug on him these days anyway.

 

After a short tour of the bunker that Gabriel used to build a mental map of the place, because _Dad_ it was huge, Sam headed to the library and Gabriel trailed after him like a lost puppy. He’d be damned if he admitted it, but the walk around the bunker had worn him out more than he expected, and he desperately wanted to sit down. When he walked into the library behind Sam, he was pleased to notice some wonderfully squashy-looking armchairs just off to one side of the shelves.  

                                                                                              

Sam only kept half an eye on the Archangel as he picked a book from the first shelf he walked up to and moved to sit curled in one of the armchairs to read. Gabriel seemed genuine in what he had told them earlier over coffee, but Sam was still cautious. He watched Gabriel where he sat with his feet tucked under him, reading with the book propped on his knees. Dressed in a pair of jeans and Sam’s old Stanford hoodie with the sleeves covering most of his hands, he looked so harmless, but this was the same Gabriel who had trapped him in a loop of horrible, violent Tuesdays all those years ago. Everyone deserved a second chance, but he’d be stupid to trust Gabriel just like that with a history like the one they shared.  

 

For a few hours Sam bumped around in the library, finishing off the file he’d created for the case he and Dean had just finished, and tidying away the lore books and files he’d dragged out for information on the curses being used, always keeping half an eye on Gabriel.  

 

Early on in their days in the bunker Sam had decided to keep up the files for the Men of Letters by writing up his and Dean's cases and making note of anything new they learned along the way. He wrote them up by hand as he went along, and when they got home, he’d type up a digital copy on his laptop and add it to the database Charlie had set up for them. It wasn’t until his stomach growled that Sam realised that he’d worked well past lunchtime and that it’d been an hour since he last noticed any movement from the armchair. He wanted to laugh when he realised that Gabriel had fallen asleep with his book open on his lap. His head lolled to one side and his mouth was open slightly. It seemed he’d fallen asleep between one sentence and the next because as Sam stepped closer he saw that the fingers of his right hand still rested against the page of the book as though he’d been tracing the path of his eyes across the page. Sam actually did laugh when he realised that Gabriel had pulled the sleeves of his hoodie all the way down so that only the ends of his fingers poked out of the material. A quick trip to the laundry, and Sam had the fluffy blue blanket Gabriel had worn into the kitchen earlier that morning. He carried it into the library, and, after gently taking the book from the Archangel's limp fingers, marking the page so he could put it on the table beside the chair, draped the blanket over Gabriel before tiptoeing out of the library in search of lunch.

 

He found Dean in the kitchen eating an obscenely large sandwich and watching Netflix on his laptop. He headed over to the fridge and he opened it, staring blankly at the mostly empty shelves.

“We gotta do a grocery run, dude," Dean said through a mouthful of food. "We’re out of almost everything and now we gotta feed the short-stack too. Tell me again why you trust that guy.”

 

Sam’s shoulders drooped and he dropped his head briefly as he realised the truth of Dean's words. All that was left in the fridge was a tomato and couple of pieces of sliced ham. He pulled those out and prayed they had some eggs he could use to make an omelette.  

“I don’t trust him 100% but you should have seen him last night. I wasn’t kidding, his lips were blue and he looked like a drowned kitten. I know he wasn’t exactly the poster child for good behaviour before, but he did die saving our lives in the end, and it’s not like he’s got a lot of punch right now. The guy is asleep sitting up in the library as we speak.” He poured the eggs into the pan, dropped the ham and some bits of tomato on top of them and half-turned to look at his brother.

 

“Yeah fine, but you’re watching him, and if he screws with my car I reserve the right to shoot him on principle.”

 

Sam laughed and flipped the omelette. As he tipped it onto a plate and grabbed a fork something occurred to him. “Wait, if he has no mojo he’s gunna need clothes and stuff. He can’t keep wearing the same stuff every day; he’s pretty much human right now, which means he’s gotta eat and sleep and shower. I’m gunna have to take him with me on the grocery run.”

 

“You take the gremlin with you you’re not taking Baby! You can take one of the other cars.”

 

Sam just shook his head and kept eating. “Whatever, jerk. We’ll go as soon as he wakes up.”

 

The only response from Dean was a muttered 'bitch' as he picked up his laptop from the table and headed back to wherever he’d been sitting before he came to the kitchen in search of food. Sam finished off his food and set about cleaning up and making a list of things they needed, so he could spend minimal time on the groceries and save a bit of extra time to take Gabriel through some clothing stores. He was just starting to think about going back to the library and waking Gabriel up so they could do the supply run, when the Archangel shuffled his socked feet into the kitchen trailing his blanket robe along the floor and yawning widely. He scratched his nose and squinted at Sam.

 

“Not a word,” he muttered. “Is there anything to eat in this place? I think I’m hungry.”

 

“Actually, how do you feel about getting some food in town? I need to do a supply run cause there’s not much here, and I figure you’re gunna need some clothes and other stuff till you get your grace back. I was gunna take you with me if you feel up to it, what do you say?”

                                                                                              

Gabriel blinked. He was stunned. He thought about what Sam had said and he realised that it was true. He had already noticed that his teeth felt weirdly rough when he ran his tongue over them and he felt like he had a layer of grime on his skin already, despite the night in the rain and not having done anything more strenuous than wandering and sleeping today. The one set of clothes he had would start to stink pretty quickly, and Sam's clothes really were too big for him to keep borrowing. Yeah, a shopping trip was desperately needed. Briefly, he wondered if the credit cards he’d made himself before he died would still work. He hoped so; bad enough he had to rely on the Winchesters for a place to stay while he tried to replenish his grace without adding food and clothing to the debt.

 

“Sounds like a great plan kiddo. We headin' out now?”

 

“Sure, but uh, you might want to put some shoes on and lose the blanket for now.”

 

Gabriel looked down at his feet. The only boots he owned were back out near the door and they were sure to still be soaking wet from the night before. He sighed and folded the blanket over the back of the chair. Better get on with it then.  

He headed out to the door. When he got to the top of the stairs he could already tell it was going to be an uncomfortable affair to put them back on. The tan material was still dark with rainwater and when he picked them up the damp chill crept over his skin in an instant. Resigned to his fate he sat on the top step and tugged the wet boots onto his feet and laced them. His socks were damp within the first few seconds and the chill quickly crept in. As he stood up Sam came past the base of the stairs and called up to him.

 

“Just head out front, I’ll grab the car, bring it around and pick you up.”

 

He didn’t wait for a response, just continued on his way to the garage, so Gabriel turned and shoved the heavy metal door open, stepping out into the late afternoon sun to wait for Sam. It was only a moment or so before Gabriel heard the tell-tale rumble of an engine, and he walked out to the road to meet Sam.   

 

The trip into town took less time than Gabriel expected, and after a short stop to pick up a tasty burger that he could eat while they shopped, they headed into the grocery store. Sam grabbed a shopping cart and started loading it with items from an honest to Dad _list_ he had in his hand. Wandering along beside him, Gabriel quickly got bored. So to distract himself from the cold squelching of his boots, he amused himself by sneaking odd things into the shopping cart when Sam wasn’t looking. He had already successfully snuck four cans of pickled herrings, two packets of cookies, a jar of pickled eggs, some packages of off-brand candy, some shoe inserts, a whisk and a tub of goat cheese in among Sam’s carefully organised shopping when Sam saw him pick up a packet of pancake mix. Gabriel froze and in an attempt to avoid suspicion shrugged and held it up to Sam in question. Success! Sam just shook his head and took the package and added it to the cart.  

 

Groceries done, they toted all of it back to the car and headed on to the thrift shop across the road. Gabriel was briefly tempted to voice his complaint, but his father’s words about proximity to Sam and Dean speeding up his recovery rang in his head and he bit his tongue. Instead he tapped Sam on the arm to get his attention, “how much stuff are we lookin' to buy, big guy?”

 

Sam shrugged and motioned for Gabriel to follow him to the men’s section. Gabriel lagged behind a bit as they passed the counter, and while Sam’s back was turned, slid his card across the counter to the bored looking clerk.

“He’s gunna try and pay for whatever we get, but no matter what he says use this card, got it?”  

The clerk nodded and Gabriel hurried to catch up before Sam realised what he was doing. They spent two hours in the store and came to the counter with two pairs of jeans, two pairs of sweatpants, five shirts, a warm jacket and a sweater. They had also picked up some packages of cheap socks and underwear, a pair of runners, a pair of warm slippers, and a bright red scarf that Gabriel had refused to put down. As the clerk rang it up and the total started rising, Sam started to look fidgety, turning to look at Gabriel. He probably intended to tell him they’d have to return some stuff, but Gabriel just caught the clerk’s eye and nodded. Sam looked confused briefly, but it cleared the moment he saw the Clerk running the card. Gabriel stuck his hands in his pockets, crossed his fingers, offered up a tiny prayer and pushed the most miniscule trickle of grace into making the transaction go through. The exhaustion that followed was worth it. There was a small smile on Sam’s face as the girl passed Gabriel back his card and it stayed there all the way back to the car.

 

Though the drive in hadn’t seemed long, the drive back seemed to take forever. Gabriel put his head against the cool glass and the next thing he knew Sam was shaking him awake and shooing him off to bed. It wasn’t until he was already back in bed wearing Sam’s over-large t-shirt, sweatpants and hoodie again that he realised he had left Sam to get all the shopping out of the car. He thought about getting up and going back out to help. He really did. It's the thought that counts right? Well, he thought about it, but his limbs seemed to be made of lead jelly. They seemed to weigh a ton when he tried to lift them and felt limp and wobbly at the same time. After a brief struggle with his conscience, yes, he had one, thanks very much, he dropped his head back onto his pillow and fell asleep between one blink and the next.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thanks to my betas, you are a gift from on high and without you this thing would be a trainwreck of dropped words, skipped commas and bungled dialogue tags. I LOVE YOU!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for a few feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look just give up on getting chapter titles it's not likely to happen...

Sam wasn’t particularly surprised to find Gabriel had fallen asleep on the drive home. He suspected that the Archangel had used some of the little grace he had recovered to make the card he’d given the cashier work, and that it had taken more out of him than he was expecting. He felt a little bad having to shake the smaller man awake once they were back in the bunker garage, but he did it anyway. He tried not to laugh as Gabriel blinked groggily at him and let out a number of sounds that sounded random and garbled till Sam realised he was starting a word in English and finishing it in Enochian.

“Dude,” he laughed and shook his head, “we’re home. Go sleep it off, I’ll get the shopping.”

Gabriel didn’t even respond, just staggered upright and off in the vague direction of his room. It took Sam a full twenty minutes to get all the shopping into the kitchen, sorted and put away owing to the amount of time he spent laughing over the weird crap he discovered in among the groceries. At one point he’d been laughing so hard Dean had come in to ask what was going on but all Sam could do was wheeze.

“Pickled fucking  _ herrings _ !” he managed to gasp out in between bursts of laughter.

Dean just gave him up as a lost cause and left him to it. With all the other groceries put away, Gabriel’s weird shit included, Sam added the toiletries he’d picked up to the top of one of the bags of clothes and left the bags outside Gabriel’s door.

The next time Gabriel woke up he had the decency to feel a touch guilty for leaving Sam to do all the heavy lifting. He opened his door to go and find Sam only to find the bags with the stuff they’d bought at the thrift shop sitting outside the door. He grinned and hauled them into the room and up onto the bed. When that small action left him winded Gabriel decided he was going to need to do less sleeping and more actual interacting with Sam and Dean. He upended the bags on the bed, shimmied out of Sam’s clothes and pulled on a pair of his own sweatpants and a fresh shirt. He set Sam’s pants aside to return to him later, and, after some consideration, stuffed the shirt under his pillow. It was comfortable for sleeping in, so he hoped Sam wouldn’t miss it.

He started stacking things into the drawer of one of the side tables, and when he found the toothbrush, he immediately put it to use at the sink against the wall. He left both toothbrush and toothpaste on the ledge over the sink and moved back to the mound of things on the bed. With the clothes he’d helped pick all tucked away in the drawers, he was left with the things Sam had grabbed for him and the shoes. There was a plastic toiletries baggie, a packet of disposable razors, a brush, some stick deodorant, shampoo and conditioner. Gabriel collected it all and stuffed it into the bag, it was a tight fit, but in the end he made it work and deposited the bag on the ledge beside the toothbrush. Then he chucked the shoes under the bed beside his still damp boots and grabbed the slippers. With a fresh pair of socks that actually fit and warm slippers on his feet, Gabriel grabbed Sam’s Stanford hoodie and yanked it over his head as he headed toward the place where he thought he’d be most likely to find Sam.

As expected, Sam was in the library doing Dad knows what. Gabriel decided to bother him a bit, so he sat in the chair across from him and stared at him without saying anything. He took great joy in watching Sam notice him and get progressively more frustrated with the silent staring till at last he burst out; “What the hell do you want? The staring is creepy as hell,  so just cut it out and talk to me!”

He looked desperate, and it had only taken five minutes. Gabriel suppressed a laugh and spoke as though he  _ hadn’t _ sat and stared irritatingly at Sam for the last five minutes.

“How do you feel about a movie night? If I wanna build up my grace I gotta relax and rest, but I’m sick of sleeping all the time. Plus, you could always use a break; you and Deano are all work, work, work all the time, you both need to unclench.”

Sam sighed, but Gabriel could see him fighting a smile.

“Actually, that sounds like a good idea, ”Sam said after a moment. “We’ve had a rough few weeks, so maybe a movie night is just what we need.”

“Great!” Gabriel stood up and clapped his hands together. “You round up Deano and I’ll meet you in the rec room. Please tell me you have some candy other than the stuff I snuck into the cart earlier?”

Sadly they were limited to the off-brand stuff he’d snuck in among the groceries, but any candy was better than no candy. Once they were settled in the rec room, not without some grumbling from Dean that was silenced with Gabriel’s promise of beer, candy and more beer, they brought Netflix up on the T.V.

Gabriel sat cross-legged on the couch between Sam and Dean. When Dean started complaining, Gabriel reasoned that he did this so that he could share the candy with both of them. It didn’t stop Dean grumbling. It did, however, make him reach over and snag the bag from Gabriel’s lap. They settled, in the end, on the first season of The Flash, because it seemed light-hearted and they needed something that didn’t take itself too seriously. Gabriel was acutely aware of the points of contact between himself and the men on either side of him. There was a line of heat down his right thigh where it pressed against Sam’s, and a patch of heat where his left knee was propped on top of Dean’s. Gabriel felt guilty, for a moment, for enjoying the warmth blooming in his grace at the contact and the interaction. As though he were being deceitful or invading the brothers’ privacy by using the contact to heal himself.

 

 _You don’t_ _need_ _this_ , he thought to himself. _You could sit in the armchair instead._ _I mean, sure, it’ll take longer, but you’ll still heal without mooching off the boys so much_. 

 

It was true, he could have sat apart on the single armchair, but he was feeling greedy.  _ So sue me, _ he thought.  _ So I wanna be near people! And it’s not like I’m actively drawing from either of them! _ He wanted company and warmth he could feel, so he wedged himself between Sam and Dean and settled in to polish off an entire bag of candy with Dean.

Sam was enjoying himself. It had been a long time since he and Dean sat together to watch something. Usually they both wandered off and watched separate things on their laptops. It was nice, he decided, to sit and watch something while Dean bickered with Gabriel over who held the candy.

Speaking of Gabriel, Sam chanced a look over at him as the credits to the most recent episode rolled. What he saw made him press pause.

“What the hell, Sammy? It’s not even that late!” Dean grumbled, looking like he might protest further, but then he saw what had made Sam do it.

Gabriel had fallen asleep. Sam couldn’t be sure when it happened, but Gabriel’s head had lolled forward so that his chin was resting on his chest. Now that the T.V. was paused, Sam could hear the quiet snores each time Gabriel exhaled.

“Maybe we should stop there? We can watch a few more some other time.”

Dean heaved himself off the couch, shaking his head and motioning towards Gabriel. “Good luck with that, dude.”

Sam sighed in frustration and watched his brother walk away.

“Jerk!” he called.

It was a moment before he heard the faint reply of “bitch” from Dean. He grinned and shook his head. He’d missed these kinds of moments with his brother. It seemed that in recent years there had been less and less of them. Maybe having Gabriel here would be a good thing. He turned and looked at the Archangel of the Lord currently passed out snoring on his couch. He tried to be as gentle as he could when he shook Gabriel awake, but he needn’t have worried. Gabriel’s reaction to being woken up was almost identical to the one earlier in the car. He rattled off a few sentences that Sam couldn’t make sense of, starting words in English and finishing them in Enochian or the other way around. Sam suppressed a laugh and helped haul Gabriel to his feet.

“Come on, bed-time for you.”

Gabriel seemed to take offence at that and looked at Sam in outrage.

“Excuse you, gigantor! I am not a fledgeling! I can take myself to bed!”

Sam really wanted to laugh.

“Dude, you were blending languages! Just go to bed.”

Gabriel just glared and muttered something Sam couldn’t hear as he shuffled off towards his room.

“What was that?” Sam called as he switched off the television and gathered up the little mess they’d made. He finally did laugh when he heard Gabriel call out “Fuck you, Winchester!” from down the hall.”

Once he was satisfied that everything had been cleared away, Sam headed off to bed. _ Maybe we should set it up as a regular thing,  _ he thought as he climbed into bed.  _ Netflix nights. Tonight was  fun. Gabriel and Dean bickering over candy, a good show and it was nice just to relax in the same room as someone for once. _

Gabriel thumped his head against his door where he was leaning against it. “Idiot! Great, lumbering  _ idiot! _ ” He thumped his head back a couple more times to drive the point home. “Get a grip Gabriel! You’re an Archangel! They are  _ human _ ! Not flock! Behave!”

He paced the space between the door and his bead as he berated himself. He had been so disappointed to wake up with Dean gone and Sam leaning over him and shaking his shoulder, instead of pressed to his side, the way he had been when Gabriel fell asleep. By the time he’d changed into Sam’s old shirt and stripped off his pants, he’d convinced himself that he would regain his grace by proximity from now on, rather than cuddling up to people and leeching off them without their permission. He hadn’t realised he was doing it until Dean snatched the bag of candy from him. He could have stopped then and there. Could have stayed comfortable where he was without taking, but he didn’t. He let it go on, probably even after he fell asleep. He felt like he had betrayed their trust tonight. The poor saps knew little to nothing about angels from what he could tell. Some of it he couldn’t help. It started instinctively and sometimes he wouldn’t even notice it was happening, but once he noticed it was easy to stop. So why hadn’t he stopped tonight?

He climbed into bed without taking his socks off. No more creeping. So it’d take a little longer. That wouldn’t kill him. Sure, he’d probably go crazy with boredom, but better that than violating someone’s trust. He curled up on his side.

“This is ridiculous,” he murmured to the ceiling, “couldn’t you have just left me in a hospital or something?”

Of course, there was no response. Gabriel sighed and tugged the doona tighter under his chin. Sleep didn’t come so quickly this time. He lay there for what felt like several hours, stewing over being stuck, mostly powerless, in a bunker with the two people who had every right to hate him. He couldn’t figure out why neither of them seemed even remotely fazed by his presence. Neither of them seemed even a little mad. Oh, Dean was distant and standoffish, but not in an “I don’t like you” kind of way. More in an “I barely know you” kind of way. Gabriel scrunched his nose up in frustration and rolled over. He was going round in circles and it wasn’t getting him anywhere. He sighed and closed his eyes, drawing long deep breaths, the way he used to when he was juiced up and wanted to sleep just to pass time. It worked. Between one heartbeat and the next he was asleep.

_ Gabriel’s heart was racing. At first he couldn’t figure out why, such was the intensity of the fear blurring his mind. Then it clicked. He was in the motel. The one where it all went down. His brother was standing in front of him, talking to the illusion of Gabriel’s own face. The weight of his sword was solid and warm in his hand and his mind was whirling. This wasn’t right? He couldn’t be here! He died here! Lucifer was back in the cage! How was he back here? He would turn in a moment, Gabriel knew, and drive his blade into Gabriel’s chest. Gabriel tried to turn and run, tried to leave. He didn’t want to see his brother’s face, cold and uncaring and not Lucifer any more, as he drove the blade in again. He couldn’t bear to see his brother fallen so far. Not again. Fear burned cold in his chest as he tried desperately to move, to get out of the dream, anything. Lucifer was turning. Gabriel choked down a scream. He was sweating and his breaths came in great gulping heaves. And then his brother was staring him in the face, his lips drawn back in a sadistic grin as he drove his sword through Gabriel’s chest. This time Gabriel did scream. His world narrowed to his brother’s face and burning agony that spread from the wound to the very edges of his being. He was burning! Someone had doused him in holy oil and lit him. He screamed till his throat was raw. He could feel tears on his face and he could hear Lucifer laughing. But that was wrong. He hadn’t laughed. He had yanked the blade from Gabriel’s chest and left. And it hadn’t felt like this. He had burned for a moment and then he’d been gone, dead. The pain was all-encompassing, and all he could do was scream and pray for it to end. _

At first Sam couldn’t figure out what had jerked him awake. He blinked and looked at his alarm clock. The illuminated display read 04:52 and Sam wanted to groan, but the scream that echoed down the hall had him out of bed and out into the hall in a heartbeat. It was one of the most terrified and agonised screams Sam had heard in a long time. Gun in hand, he paused and listened. The screaming was coming from Gabriel’s room. He heard Dean’s door open and glanced over at his brother, now standing barefoot in the hall with him.

“The hell?” Dean had his gun loose in his hand, same as Sam, and they looked at each other for a moment. “You got this one, Sammy? Or d’you want me to take it?”

“I don’t know. You go back to bed,” he nodded towards Gabriel’s door,  “I’ll go check in on him.”

 

Sam waved a hand at Dean and headed across the hall. When he opened the door, he realised that between the screams Gabriel was saying something. He repeated it a few times before Sam could make out any words.

“Elo! Ul lava elasa! Conisa t uls! Conisa t uls!”

“Is that Enochian?” Dean said from the door.

“Yeah,” said Sam in a low voice.

“What is he saying?” 

“I’m not sure but I think he’s praying.” 

 

Dean only hummed in response.

“Elo!” Gabriel sobbed “Ol lava elasa!”

Sam could see his hands clawing at his chest, gripping so tight his knuckles were going white.

“Conisa t uls, conisa t uls, conisa t uls!”

_ Make it end _ . It hit Sam like a punch in the gut. Gabriel was curled on his side, sweating and sobbing and praying to God for something to stop.  _ God, I pray you, make it end _ .

“Gabriel, Gabe, it’s Sam. C’mon, Gabe, wake up.”

Gabriel wailed. Sam reached out and put his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder to try shaking him, and instantly knew it hadn’t been a good move. Gabriel’s eyes snapped open and he screamed again as he threw himself backwards so violently that he fell off the other side of the bed. He was still speaking in choked sobs.

“Conisa t uls, Elo.” 

 

_ Make it end, God. _

 

His voice dropped to a shaking whisper as Sam came around the bed to find him with his back pressed to the dresser. “Elo, ol lava elasa Elo. Conisa t uls.”  _ God, I pray you, God. Make it end _ .

The words left Sam with a lump in his throat. He crouched in front of Gabriel, but didn’t touch him again. “Gabriel, it’s ok. It was just a dream. A nightmare, Gabe. It’s ok, you’re safe, you’re ok.”

He kept murmuring as soothingly as he could for a while, wishing desperately that he could just reach out and pull Gabriel into a hug the way Dean had done for him so many times. Finally, Gabriel lifted his head. When he spoke, it was in such a low whisper, Sam almost missed it.

“Sam?” 

 

That was it. One word.

“Yeah Gabe. It’s me.”

Gabriel suddenly lurched forward off the floor towards Sam, and, in a blink, he had an armful of trembling Archangel. Hesitantly, Sam put his arms around Gabriel. He looked over at the door. Dean raised his eyebrows in a silent  _ all good? _ and Sam nodded. Dean gave him one last nod and turned to go back to bed.

Sam wasn’t sure how long he and Gabriel sat on the floor beside the bed, but he kept up a steady stream of calming nonsense in Gabriel’s ear and traced his hand up and down his back until the trembling stopped and Gabriel seemed to get control of himself. Then they sat there a while longer, just breathing. Gabriel had fistfuls of Sam’s shirt twisted up in his grip, and his face pressed against Sam’s chest.

“How about a warm drink and something sweet?” Sam said after while. “You feel up to coming out to the kitchen?”

Gabriel took a shaky breath but didn’t answer.

“Your blanket from this morning is still in there,” he offered as an extra incentive.

It worked. He felt Gabriel nod against his chest. Slowly Sam manoeuvred them both into a standing position. Gabriel scrubbed at his face and wouldn’t meet Sam’s eyes, so Sam put an arm around his shoulders and gently guided him out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

It wasn’t until he was sitting in a kitchen chair, wrapped in the blanket and holding a mug of sweet tea, that Gabriel finally looked up and cleared his throat in embarrassment.

“Sorry I woke you up.”

Sam jerked in surprise. “No, it’s totally fine, it happens to the best of us. Nightmares I mean. Dean and I get ‘em too, so it’s fine. Really.”

Gabriel shifted and drew the blanket higher over his shoulders. “I’ve never had one before. I couldn’t get out, couldn’t wake up like I usually do when I’m done sleeping. Is that normal?”

Sam blinked. Of course he’d never had a nightmare before. Archangels don’t sleep, not really.

“Yeah, its pretty normal. So is the way you reacted to being woken up.”

Gabriel hummed and sipped at the tea, huffing a laugh at how much sugar Sam had put in it for him. Sam looked at him questioningly.

“ _ Sweet _ ” was all he offered by way of an explanation, smiling faintly.

“So,” said Sam as gently as he could, “wanna tell me what it was about? Talking sometimes helps make sense of it, so you can sleep again.”

Gabriel shrugged. “Not much to explain or make sense of. Luci stabbed me and I was dying all over again. Nothing to puzzle out. I’d rather not go over it, ok? You can go back to bed, but I’m not getting any more sleep tonight, so I’m gunna watch some TV.”

“My alarm goes off soon anyway, so I might as well keep you company. We can watch something trashy on Netflix.”

Two hours later, when Dean got up, they were curled still up on the couch together, watching Project Runway and savagely judging the outfits as they came down the runway onscreen. Gabriel was even sniggering about Sam’s “terrible” taste. Dean was proud of how Sam had handled himself this morning, and he resolved to try harder to get a hold of Cas, so he and Gabriel could finally catch up. He left them to it and went and dug out the chocolate chip pancake mix he’d seen on the table when Sam had been laughing over a can of pickled herrings. He’d had more sleep; he could cook breakfast this morning.


	4. A Little Laughter Goes A Long Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas comes for a visit and things happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up kids, my beta is still unwell so I used Grammarly. There are probably still some stuff-ups but bear with me.
> 
> Italics=Thoughts  
> [anything brackets is angel radio speek]

After that night on the floor in his room with Sam, Gabriel was determined to avoid a repeat performance and so, the next day, he spent hours tracing spells on his doorframe and the outward facing walls to prevent any sound escaping. The trouble was that, without carving or painting them on, they would lose their strength faster with power running through them constantly, so he would have to remember to activate them as he went to bed and deactivate them in the morning to preserve their life and conserve his grace.  
   
It was while he was tracing the last sigil on the door that someone knocked on it. Slightly alarmed, Gabriel quickly powered down and hid the spells before he opened the door to come face to face with Dean, of all people. He looked fairly pleased with himself as he stepped aside to reveal Castiel. Instinct demanded that he wrap himself around his baby brother immediately, but he stomped on the urge and grinned instead.  
   
“Hey bro!” he turned to Dean, “thanks for this, Dean. Means a lot.”  
   
Dean didn’t seem to know how to react to Gabriel being genuine, so he just waved him off and walked away, leaving Cas and Gabriel standing in Gabriel’s doorway. Gabriel kept a tight leash on his instincts as he ushered Cas into the room. He knew Naomi had gotten permission from Michael to do her dirty little experiments, so he wasn’t sure how much of his brother’s instinctive nature remained. He was going to have to use some grace to fix it, and it was going to be exhausting, but it was necessary if he wanted to give in to his own instincts, and he really wanted to give in.  
   
“It is good to see you, Gabriel.”  
   
Gabriel smiled at his brother, “it’s good to be back Cassie,” he kept his posture carefully open as he spoke but didn’t reach for Cas as he wanted so badly to do. Not yet. He did, however, spread his wings out and open what little grace he had for Cas to connect to. It was something of a test, to see how much of his nature Castiel still had un-damaged. From his reaction, it wasn’t much. Castiel gaped at Gabriel, but he did seem tempted to reach out. It was a good sign, Gabriel supposed.  
   
“I… It’s really good to see you, Cassie,” it was so much harder to approach this discussion than Gabriel thought. How was he going to heal the damage Naomi had done to Castiel without explaining it? Gabriel briefly wished he’d had some time to plan this before his brother arrived. He decided the best place to start was to explain how Chuck had put him back together and how the slow-rebuild was supposed to work. Castiel stood and listened attentively, as Gabriel paced and told his story and when Gabriel finally stilled, he tilted his head and looked Gabriel dead in the eye.  
   
“So you require proximity to angels and humans in order to heal yourself?”  
   
“Well, yes and no,” Gabriel wanted to pull his hair out, “it’s a 'give and take' thing, with angels anyway. It’s supposed to be an instinct we all have, but I know Naomi got her claws into most of you and took that away from you. Sure it can be healed but she did it, and I wasn’t there to stop her!” He slumped down onto his bed and looked up at Castiel who had gone stock-still.  
   
“Naomi changed the angels’ nature?”  
   
“Well yeah! Didn’t you ever wonder why all your memories from before you joined Michael’s army were so different? So much warmer? Naomi was tinkering with all of you!”  
   
Castiel looked dead calm on the outside, but Gabriel could see his wings shifting and bristling with agitation.  
   
“And you can reverse what was done?”  
   
“Yes,” Gabriel nodded emphatically.  
   
“And doing so will aid in your recovery?”  
   
“Well it’ll knock me out for a while probably, but yes, in the long run, it will be a major benefit to both of us.”  
   
Castiel was still for a moment longer before he nodded, “do it then,” he said, coming to sit beside Gabriel. “Tell me what you need me to do.”  
   
Gabriel blinked. _Well, that was easy._ “Just relax bro, it’s probably going to be a bit overwhelming at first ok?”  
   
He finally allowed himself to touch his brother, pressing his hands gently to either side of Castiel’s head. Slowly he pulled what little grace he had recovered so far up to his fingertips and set to work. It took more strength than and less time than Gabriel had been expecting and before he knew it Castiel was trembling in his hands. He brushed one last tendril of grace through his brother in an effort to soothe any lingering pain, but he found none.  
   
“Cas,” he hardly dared speak, exhaustion was already beginning to weigh on him. “Cas, what’s happening? Are you ok?”  
   
Castiel nodded.  
   
“What do you need little bro?”  
   
Cas made an aborted movement toward Gabriel and, all at once, Gabriel understood. Relief washed through him in an instant, and he finally reached out, drawing his brother tight against his chest. They tumbled backwards onto the bed in a pile of tangled limbs. Gabriel actually wept with joy at the feeling of being cocooned in the blissful warmth of his brother’s grace. Cas was raking his nails through Gabriel’s hair, and tracing his hands over Gabriel’s back and shoulders. Gabriel shamelessly leaned into it, relishing every second. He resolved to repair Castiel’s wings and grace once he had his grace back. Gabriel was barely aware of being moved as Castiel manoeuvred them up the bed so that they could lie face to face in comfort. He let himself be moved and, when Castiel stilled, wriggled down so that he could curl as close to Cas as possible, pressing his face into his brother’s chest and wrapping an arm around his ribs. Castiel huffed a laugh and drew Gabriel impossibly closer tracing the line of his spine with his fingertips. All of the remaining tension drained from Gabriel as Castiel’s hand brushed, repeatedly, over the spaces where his wings connected to his vessel, intangible though they were at the moment. He sighed in contentment, and, breathing in Castiel’s clean scent, fell asleep in an instant.  
   
                                                                                                  
   
When Sam had seen Dean and Cas walk passed the library on their way to Gabriel’s room he had smiled. It would be good to see the brothers reunited. But Dean had come back to the library and sat down to help look for a case, and they hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Gabriel or Castiel since. It was already nearly dinner, and Sam wondered what had happened to them. He and Dean decided that neither of them could be bothered cooking, so Dean had gone to get takeout for dinner while Sam tidied up a bit. He left it as long as he could to go in search of Gabriel and Cas, but he knew Dean would be back with the food soon, so he headed down to Gabriel’s room and knocked on the door. When he got no answer, he eased the door open, in case Gabriel had fallen asleep.  
   
Gabriel had, in fact, fallen asleep as Sam had thought but what he hadn’t expected was how. He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe and smiled as he took in the full extent of the scene. Both angels appeared to be sound asleep, fully clothed, in a tangle of limbs, blankets and pillows. Castiel was curled protectively around Gabriel’s smaller body, his visible arm draped along Gabriel’s spine and his chin resting on Gabriel’s head. Gabriel’s face was pressed against Cas’s chest, and his fingers were gripping the back of Cas’s shirt loosely. Sam quietly snuck his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture before pulling the door shut behind him.  
   
Sam had been right in his estimate, he and Dean walked into the kitchen at the same time. Seeing as Dean’s hands were full, Sam went to the fridge and brought a sixer of beer to the table and sat down. Dean tilted his head,  
   
“where’re our feathered friends?”  
   
Sam cracked up and grabbed one of the cartons of food and a plastic fork, “You’re not gunna believe this,” he said, through a mouthful of food. He swallowed. “But they’re asleep! All cuddled up together and dead to the world!”  
   
Dean, who had just taken a long pull of his beer, spluttered a bit. “Bullshit!”  
   
Sam laughed. “Nope,” he shook his head and pulled his phone out to show Dean. “See,” he held it up with the screen facing Dean so his brother could see, “Out like a light.”  
   
Dean laughed and popped open one of the other cartons of food, “Holy crap!”  
Sam laughed, put his phone down on the table and dug through his carton looking for more chicken. “I know right?”  
   
Dean was laughing as he dug into his own dinner. He pointed his fork at Sam’s phone and spoke around a mouthful of food, “That’s adorable!”  
   
They grinned at each other and ate in silence. After seeing the picture, Dean was thoroughly glad that he’d spent the better part of yesterday trying to get a hold of Cas. He was surprised at just how touchy-feely the reunion was, truth be told, but the smile he’d seen on Cas’s face in that picture was priceless. Though, it did make him think. He and Sam knew a lot about angels, sure, but realistically they knew very little. They knew something of the hierarchy, sure, and ways to fight angels, ways to banish, summon or bind them but they knew nothing of their nature. How did angels normally behave around one another, when they weren’t fighting? Maybe the cuddle pile currently going on in Gabriel’s bed was normal. How were he and Sam to know? He voiced his musings to Sam.  
   
“Yeah, I was just thinking something similar. D’you think it’d be rude if I asked Cas or Gabe about it?”  
   
“Nerd,” Dean started collecting the empty boxes and putting the leftovers in the fridge.  
   
“Dude! You’re the one that brought it up!”  
   
Dean just laughed and shook his head at Sam, “Yeah but you’re the nerd that wants to research it!” He laughed harder when all he got in response was a bitchface.  
   
After the cleanup, Dean announced that he was going to bed, and after a moment, Sam decided that, given the early start to the day, an early night was probably a good idea. He headed into his room and grabbed what he’d need for a shower and headed down the hall to take advantage of the bunker’s excellent water pressure. Showered and dressed in a pair of ratty old sweats, Sam decided to check in on Cas and Gabe before heading to bed. He knocked quietly before easing the door open. Gabriel was still sound asleep in much the same position as he had been before, but Cas was wide-awake and tracing a smooth line across the back of Gabriel’s shoulders.  
   
Sam smiled when Cas caught his eye and, keeping his voice as low as he could in an effort not to wake Gabriel, told Cas, “If he wakes up hungry, there’s leftover takeout in the fridge. All you gotta do is microwave it for a couple’a minutes.”  
   
Cas didn’t answer, but he did nod as he continued the gentle pattern across Gabriel’s shoulders. Sam smiled and nodded then waved as he withdrew, pulling the door shut behind him. It was odd, he mused, he hadn’t expected to be so comfortable with Gabriel being in the bunker, but he was. In fact having Gabriel and Cas both here, even just sleeping all day, felt cosy. It was nice just to know that there was more than just Dean and himself in the massive space of the bunker. With more people in it, it felt more like a home and less like a library. He laid back against his pillows and shut his eyes, resolving to suggest that they watch some more of The Flash the next night if everyone felt up to it.  
   
                                                                          
   
As awareness crept back up on Gabriel that morning, he was not surprised to find his head ached and his chest felt hollowed out where his grace had drained away undoing Naomi’s Frankenstein games last night. However, on the plus side, Cas had nested in with him all night! Gabriel sighed in contentment and pressed a little closer to his brother. Cas’s grace was small and tattered, but it was warm, and it was curled around the void in Gabriel’s chest keeping out the chill.  
   
Gradually Gabriel’s awareness began to spread to the rest of his body and out into the room and the world around him. “Is it morning?” his face was still mushed against Cas’s chest.  
   
Castiel shifted slightly. “Yes, eight o’clock.”  
   
Gabriel’s stomach made a loud complaint at having skipped both lunch and dinner. Gabriel pondered, perhaps the lack of food had something to do with the hammering in his skull. He shifted, so he was lying on his back but still pressed close to Cas. “How are you feelin, kiddo?”  
   
Cas blinked at him in shock. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that Gabriel?”  
   
Gabriel’s jaw dropped. “Listen, bro, I’m not the one who just had his noggin un-scrambled ok!” Gabriel groaned. Mental note, no shouting with a headache, he turned and propped himself up on his elbow to meet Cas’s eyes, “I’m your older brother, let me worry ok?”  
   
To almost anyone else, it would seem that Cas’s face hadn’t changed, but Gabriel saw him smile. It was in his eyes and the tiny upward tilt of his mouth. Gabriel’s stomach complained vocally again, and Cas chuckled as he stood and made his way to the door. Gabriel wanted to stop him. “Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll go see if I can find the leftover takeout Sam mentioned last night.”  
   
Gabriel groaned. Sam had been in here last night? _Man, come on! There goes my tough reputation!_ Gabriel mourned as Cas disappeared down the hall. Then a whisper crept into his mind,  
   
[What reputation brother?]  
   
Gabriel froze on the edge of the bed where he’d been about to stand up,  
   
[My tough, all-powerful trickster rep lil bro,] he tried hesitantly.  
   
Castiel’s answering laugh rumbled along Gabriel’s bones and made him tremble in shock and joy. He poked at the repaired family bond in his pitiful grace reverently and when he felt the responding brush from his brother his heart leapt in his chest. Gabriel threw back his head and laughed, long and loud and ringing with notes of his true voice. The warm joy of the renewed bond stayed with him all through the odd ritual of getting dressed and brushing his teeth. It was still glowing warmly in his chest as he yanked his stolen hoodie over his head and clomped his slipper-covered feet down the hall in the general direction of the kitchen.  
   
                                                                          
   
Sam was sitting in the kitchen with his laptop and a cup of coffee by his hand when it happened. There was a bright sound like ringing bells, followed by a wave of… Well, Sam wasn’t sure what it was. Warmth rushed through him first followed by a bubbling joy that Sam was sure wasn’t entirely his own and more bells. It wasn’t till it had passed that Sam realised he had been laughing. As he came back to himself, he saw Cas come into the room smiling and not far behind him Dean running full tilt.  
   
“What in the hell was that!?” Dean gasped as he skidded to a stop.  
   
Sam really wanted to know too, and Cas seemed to be the only one unconcerned. In fact, he seemed downright pleased with himself. He grinned at them, holding up the leftover takeout. “I made Gabriel laugh,” he said smugly, “which of these boxes contains the leftovers you said were for Gabriel?”  
   
Sam blinked, Gabriel laughing? “Uh,” he stammered briefly, “Hang on put that away, we have eggs and there’s bacon left in the oven staying warm.” He stood up. “Here, budge, I’ll scramble some eggs.”  
   
Cas shrugged and put the cartons back where he found them. Dean flopped into a seat. It seemed he was having as much trouble as Sam was, wrapping his head around the power that had poured out of such a simple thing. If that was what happened when an Archangel laughed at the bare minimum of power Sam hardly dared imagine the magnitude of what would have happened had Gabriel been at full power. As he was pouring the eggs into the pan, Gabriel made his tousled appearance in the kitchen grinning from ear to ear. He winked at Sam, “Sammy! Is that for me by any chance?”  
   
“Yep,” Sam pointed to a chair, with the spatula, “Sit, it’s nearly done.”  
   
Gabriel grinned and took Sam’s empty seat, “Deano,” he nodded smugly at Dean, “Cassie,” He grinned broadly over his shoulder at his brother.  
   
The remaining warmth from Gabriel’s laugh earlier and his unabashed happiness now had Sam ginning into the eggs as he pushed them around in the pan. Dean seemed to be affected too because he was grinning and laughing at Cas’s apparent bed-head. Gabriel grinned so widely at Sam when he placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Gabriel that Sam had to chuckle as he sat down and dragged his laptop over to himself. He really hoped that if he found a case, it wouldn’t be too far away.


	5. Of Feathers, B.O and Disposable Razors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! Another update! Look how productive I am! Anyway, still using Grammarly so blame any remaining errors on the robot! Otherwise, enjoy you nerds, I love all of you for reading my ramblings. 
> 
> Kudos give me the warm fuzzies and comments cause inarticulate pterodactyl shrieks of joy.
> 
> italics= thoughts and memories  
> [shit in here is angel radio]

After breakfast, Dean announced that he needed to hit something and headed toward the gym with nothing more than a wave. Sam had barely even acknowledged his brother’s statement other than a soft ‘mmhmm’ and a nod, too absorbed in whatever he had found on his laptop. Gabriel looked back and forth between Sam’s hunched form and Dean’s retreating one for a moment. He turned to Cas in surprise and pulled a face to say ‘well alright then’ and shrugged.

 

“Guess it’s just you and me then little bro, whaddaya say we go for a walk?”

 

Cas blinked at him. Gabriel shuffled his feet, “I got a trick I wanna teach ya. Put some feathers back on your back.”

 

To anyone else, it would seem as though Castiel hadn’t reacted at all, but with grace gradually bubbling up inside, Gabriel could see more than most. Cas’s skeletal wings arched back, and his faces swivelled toward Gabriel in shock, “You can do that?”

 

His voice was steady, but Gabriel could tell it took effort. He shrugged at his little brother, “sure I can. Taught you to fly didn’t I?” 

 

Gabriel could pinpoint the moment that the memory surfaced. Castiel’s whole body sagged and his mouth opened slightly in wonder. Gabriel poked at the bond to ask for permission, and Castiel drew him into the memory. They were sitting in a tree on the edge of The Garden watching a  _ much _ younger Gabriel demonstrate the proper way to cup each wing for a smooth glide. Cas, who was adorably tiny in Gabriel’s opinion, was squinting in concentration, much the same way he still did today. Gabriel let himself sink into it beside Castiel and experience it as he did all those years ago.

 

_ Gabriel stood at the base of the tree, “Come on kiddo,” he beckoned with his outstretched arms, “It’s easy! Come down. I promise I’ll catch you if I think you’re gunna fall.” _

 

_ Cas scrunched his bare toes against the bark of the great tree, “It’s too high brother! What if we pick a smaller tree?” _

 

_ Gabriel chuckled, “It’s not too high Cassie, you can do it. Just dive,” Gabriel jumped lightly, “and cup,” he cupped his wings, “and you’ll glide down here, light as a feather. I promise.” _

 

_ Castiel shuffled a little further out along the branch and looked down at Gabriel. He wasn’t far away from the tree and, as he’d promised, he was on his toes, wings arching out in preparation for a fast takeoff should Castiel fail to cup his wings enough to create lift. He stepped a little further out. _

 

_ “That’s it, Cassie! Come to me,” Gabriel was grinning, “It’s no different than gliding down from the ground takeoff’s we were doing yesterday.” He beckoned again with his outstretched arms, and Castiel scrunched his toes one last time. _

 

_ -Weightless! Forget floating like a feather! He was the air!- Castiel whooped in exhilaration. He could hear Gabriel laughing and cheering below. He looked down at his brother and realised, he was too high. With a moment’s thought, Castiel angled his wings the way he’d seen Gabriel do countless times and immediately dipped to one side. The new position pulled him in a gradually tightening circle down towards his brother. Castiel whooped again, from this distance he could see the proud smile on his brother’s face. Gabriel was still standing on the grass, arms out to catch Castiel. Suddenly it dawned on Castiel that Gabriel hadn’t told him how to land and by the look on Gabriel’s face, he knew it too. _

 

_ Gabriel saw the moment his little brother realised that he didn’t know how to break. He grinned and braced as the little fledegling came barreling towards him full speed. The kid ploughed into Gabriel’s chest hard and fast, and Gabriel rolled with it, letting out a soft -Ooof- as Castiel thumped into him and they both tumbled across the lawn in a tangle of limbs and feathers. Gabriel was laughing before they stopped. He tucked his brother in close and let himself roll to a stop before he flopped out on the grass and laughed till he cried. He looked up at Castiel, who was sitting on his chest now that they’d stopped and cracked up all over again. The kid was giving him the dirtiest look. _

 

_ “You did that on purpose,” he thumped one tiny fist against Gabriel’s shoulder “I could have hurt you!” _

 

_ Gabriel wanted to laugh again, but he didn’t, “You really think I’d let that happen kiddo?” He raised an eyebrow, “You really think I’d put you at risk by letting you hurt me? Not to mention, I’m just a bit bigger than you. There’s no putting a dent in me.” _

 

_ Castiel just squinted at him judgingly, and Gabriel had to bite his lip to keep from laughing again. “What did you learn?” _

 

_ Castiel jerked back like he’d been zapped and tilted his head in thought, “Flying is easy,” he said at length, “stopping is hard.” _

 

_ Gabriel beamed with pride, “Exactly,” he declared with a wiggle of his eyebrows, “next lesson, how to apply the breaks.” He raked his fingers through the feathers on his brother’s tiny wings and then rolled them both into a sitting position. “Wanna go see what Joshua’s doing?” _

  
  


Castiel sat heavily in an empty chair and Gabriel poked at the bond in worry. He needn’t have, Castiel opened the bond wide and warmth flooded Gabriel through it. 

 

“Is that going to happen often?” Castiel was still looking awed as he reached across the table to grasp Gabriel’s hand. The physical contact seemed to help ground them both.

 

“Honestly kiddo, I have no Idea. I’ve never undone so much tampering before. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t,” He shrugged and turned his hand over to grasp Cas’, “How bout that lesson then?”

 

Castiel allowed himself to be tugged to his feet and pulled towards the entrance. It wasn’t until they were stepping out into the sun that Castiel thought to object, “Gabriel, you’re not wearing any shoes, you should go get a pair,” he pointed back through the open door, “I’ll wait here.” 

 

Gabriel however, seemed to have other ideas. He was tugging the slippers off his feet, and as he put them just inside the door, he gestured at Cas to do the same. “Trust me, bro, I know what I’m doing,” he raised his eyebrows, “come on then, chop-chop. Let’s  _ go, _ Cassie!”

 

Gabriel was bouncing on his bare toes as Castiel tugged off his shoes and socks. When he had placed them inside Gabriel jerked the door shut and took off towards the nearest patch of grass. When he reached it, he stopped to wait for Castiel to catch up. As Cas drew up alongside his brother, he could see Gabriel scrunching his toes in the grass much the same way he had seen himself do in the memory earlier. Gabriel saw him looking and smiled, “All in good time Cassie, follow me.”

 

They walked in silence for a few minutes, when the Bunker disappeared from view behind some trees Gabriel stopped and looked around, seemingly satisfied, he plopped unceremoniously down onto the ground and gestured for Cas to do the same. Cautiously, Castiel lowered himself to the ground in front of his brother. Through the bond, Castiel could already feel that Gabriel was pulling power to himself from somewhere. He looked at his brother expectantly and waited. Gabriel smiled, it was not the smile that Castiel had become accustomed to, it was more like the one he had seen in the memory as he had been careening towards his brother at top speed.

 

“There is energy in everything.”

 

Castiel sat up straighter and focussed on Gabriel completely.

 

“Everything dad made, he made from the same stuff. All living things produce it in some way, and all of them produce just a little more than they need.”

 

Castiel felt him prodding at the bond and opened his grace to let Gabriel in. 

 

Gabriel guided Castiel’s awareness gently to the earth beneath them and out through the roots of the grass, “There’s a surplus here that we can tap into,” they rushed up the roots of a tree to look out from the canopy. “All we have to do, is reach for it the right way.” They took off from the canopy in the wings of a pigeon, “as long as we don’t try and take too much,” Gabriel guided a tiny breath of energy towards Castiel, “the balance won’t be disturbed, and we can heal without the backlash, but,” they rushed back to the spot where they were sitting, and Gabriel placed Castiel’s fingertips on a yellow dandelion, “Take too much?” He pulled from the flower and passed the energy to his brother. Castiel watched in horror as the tiny flower wilted and died instantly. “Too much can hurt them and us.”

 

Castiel knew exactly what Gabriel meant. His chest ached with sorrow for the tiny thing that had given him its energy. He could feel the empty space in the world in front of him. A tiny dark space where there should have been the tiny ray of light and energy produced by the flower that lay a rotten, black husk between he and Gabriel now. It hurt. He hadn’t realised he was crying till Gabriel reached across the space between them and wiped his cheeks.

 

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel’s voice was soft, “A hard lesson I know, but it’s important that you understand how delicate this balance is and never overstep.” He pulled Castiel into his lap, dragging his fingers through the few new feathers that had grown in the time they had spent in the roots of the world. 

 

“Ready to try it for yourself?”

 

Gabriel was handling him like he was made of glass now and it was unsettling, so he straightened his spine and nodded at his brother, “I think I understand how to do it now yes.”

 

“Good,” Gabriel grinned, “Then let’s get to putting some feathers on your back!”

 

This time when they rushed down into the earth and along the roots of the grass and trees and flowers, it was side by side. There was no longer any need for Gabriel to tow Cas along by a guide line. It was exhilarating to dart in and out of the world’s energies. Gabriel moved more smoothly than Castiel, deftly weaving in and out of different plants and animals, collecting tiny nuggets of energy never more than they had to spare and never without asking. Castiel, on the other hand, was still a little clumsy, often bumping into the energy before remembering how to ask for what it had to spare. It felt like eons, and, at the same time, no time at all before they were back in their vessels on the grass. At some point, Gabriel had drawn Castiel down to lay his head in Gabriel's lap so that Gabriel could run his fingers through his brother’s hair. Castiel blinked up at Gabriel, and passed him to the already darkening sky,

 

“Gabriel,” he scolded lightly, “you should have brought us back sooner. You must be hungry by now.”

 

Gabriel shrugged, “Eh, I couldn't bring myself to tear you away,” he smiled down at Cas’s scowling face, “I was enjoying watching you explore. And besides, look at you!” He waved a hand at Castiel’s back, “look at all those downey new feathers!”

 

Castiel sat up sharply and stretched his wings out to either side where he could see them. Gabriel was right, new feathers were growing in patches down the length of both wings, and Castiel felt joy bubbling up in his grace. He threw himself at his brother, “Thank you, Gabriel,” he muttered into Gabriel’s shoulder.

 

“Anytime kiddo,” he patted Cas on the shoulder as his little brother sat back. “A couple more sessions like that and you’ll be flying again in no time. Now,” he stood up and offered Castiel his hand to pull him to his feet, “I am starving, let’s go see what’s for dinner shall we?”

 

When they finally traipsed back through the bunker door, Sam was in the library, and Dean was in the kitchen cooking. If the smell was anything to go on, dinner was gunna be good. Gabriel’s stomach made a loud gurgling noise to protest his skipping lunch. Yanking his socks and slippers back on, Gabriel stumped down the stairs and wandered towards the kitchen, leaving Cas to tie his shoes at the top of the stairs. Dean didn’t look up when he came into the room.  _ Good, probably better if he’s distracted anyway, _ thought Gabriel.

 

“So,” Gabriel started, he wasn’t sure how to go about this, “uh, look, I just wanted to say thanks again, Deano. It’s been great hangin’ with Cassie today, and I know it was you that got ‘im here so yeah, thanks.”

 

Gabriel looked up, at last, to find Dean staring at him with an annoyingly unreadable look on his face. He fidgeted. Dean put the pan he’d been using in the sink and turned to face Gabriel fully, “It’s all good, it was as much for Cas as it was for you. He seems happy to have you back, so that’s good enough for me,” he shrugged. “Dinner’s in ten. Go see if you can coax the nerd out of his cave.”

 

Gabriel knew a dismissal when he heard one, so he headed off to the library where he could feel Sam moving about. The day in the field had done him as much good as it had Cas, sure he was rebuilding pretty much from scratch, but the fact that now he could feel where everyone was in the bunker now was a pretty big step in his books. Shame not all his repair work could be done that way. It’d be too much of a drain on the area. He felt Cas wander into the kitchen and smiled to himself, maybe he’d give them a nudge, but he suspected Cas would get there on his own.

 

“What are you grinning at?”

 

Gabriel jerked to a stop and looked up. While he’d been thinking about Cas and Dean, he’d gotten all the way to the library, and Sam was standing by the shelves smiling at him with a questioning look on his face.

 

“Uh,”  _ oh good, real articulate Gabriel  _ “sorry, yeah your brother said to come rouse the nerd for food so,” he lifted his hands out to either side in a shrug. “Here I am. Come, Nerd! It’s time for dinner.” He made an exaggerated ‘follow me’ motion at Sam who just shook his head and laughed.

 

“You have a good day out with Cas?” Sam asked with a smile, as they headed toward the kitchen.

 

“Yeah, yeah I did. Taught him a new trick and he grew some new feathers. Was nice, productive.”

 

“New feathers?” Sam looked curious.

 

“Oh yeah, taught him how to draw from creation to heal himself. He did good, a little clumsy but he didn’t break anything so,” Gabriel shrugged.

 

Sam looked like he wanted to ask more but they had walked into the kitchen, and Dean was putting plates on the table, so he bit his tongue. Sam sat in the nearest seat, but Gabriel walked around the table behind Cas, ruffling his brother’s hair as he went, and sat down beside him, tearing into the burger Dean had made for him. He moaned in appreciation, “Oh my Dad! This is delicious!”

Dean grinned smugly, “you’re welcome,” he nodded before going back to his conversation with Cas. 

“That good huh?” Sam smiled at the two angels sitting side by side, Cas was carrying on with whatever conversation he and Dean had been having before Sam and Gabriel arrived, and Gabriel was tearing into his burger with gusto and making obscene noises, “Hell yeah! This,” he held up his burger for emphasis, “I could get used to.”

 

Sam laughed and ate a little more of his own burger, “So I was thinking,” he said to the table at large, “We could all watch some Flash together tonight, you’re staying again, right Cas?”

 

The little chorus of agreeable noises he received in response was encouraging, and Cas turned and confirmed that, yes, he would be staying one more night before heading back to heaven.

 

After dinner had been eaten and cleaned up after, the little group made their way to the couches and the T.V for some good old-fashioned chill time. Dean grabbed the beer from the fridge and Gabriel grabbed another bag of candy from the cupboard. They settled in while Sam sat in the armchair and brought up the show on Netflix. Dean sat on one end of the couch, and Gabriel sat at the other, which left the middle for Cas. As soon as Cas sat down, Sam noticed, Gabriel plopped his legs in Cas’s lap. Cas seemed unfazed by his brothers actions and just placed his hand on Gabriel’s knee, rubbing lightly. Sam caught himself staring and pushed play on the next episode in the season. During the night Sam kept catching his attention drifting over to Cas and Gabriel on the couch. After the first two episodes, Gabriel had shifted so that his head was in Castiel’s lap and his feet were hanging over the arm of the couch. It made for an adorable picture, Cas was absently running his fingers through his brother’s hair, if he thought he’d be able to get away it, he’d sneak a picture with his phone. Sam suspected Gabriel would have a few things to say about that though, so he left it in his pocket.

They got through four episodes this time, before Castiel drew Sam’s attention to Gabriel, who was once again, snoring quietly. Sam grinned, for some reason, he found it hilarious that an Archangel of the Lord snored. Cas grinned at him as though he’d heard Sam’s train of thought, his fingers still tangled in Gabriel’s hair, “Perhaps this is a good place to stop?”

 

Sam laughed, “Yeah, probably a good idea,” he shook his head and stood up. Dean was already heaving himself out of his chair and collecting beer bottles. Between them they got the mess cleared away while Castiel tried to rouse Gabriel enough to get him down the hall to bed. As Sam watched, Cas shook Gabriel gently by the shoulder. All that happened was that Gabriel muttered, what sounded like ‘nope’ and rolled onto his side so that his face was pressed against Cas’s stomach and his legs drew up into the fetal position in order to fit on the couch. 

 

Sam grinned, “Need a hand Cas?”

 

Castiel looked down at his brother and then back up at Sam, “He is faking.”

 

Sam laughed, “Yeah, I know. He stopped snoring ages ago.”

 

Cas blinked at Sam, “So he did,” he looked down at his brother one more time and then stood up sharply. Gabriel jerked and, with a sound he would later deny making, crashed to the floor. He sat up and narrowed his eyes at Cas, “Touche lil bro, touche.” He seemed impressed as he stood up and dusted himself off, Sam shook his head and headed into the kitchen with the last of the rubbish.

 

Gabriel yawned widely, stretched his arms above his head and sighed. He froze, like a deer caught in headlights, turned his head slowly, sniffed twice at his armpit and gagged. He dropped his arms quickly to his sides and grimaced, “Hey, uh, Sam?”

 

Sam stuck his head back into the room, “Yeah?”

 

“Shower?” He shoved his hands into his pockets and pressed his elbows to his sides, as though he could trap the body odour that way.

 

Sam nodded toward the hall where all the bedrooms were, “It’s the last door down that hall.”

 

Gabriel nodded his thanks and headed to his room to grab a towel and the toiletries Sam had bought for him. His head was aching again, and it was beginning to get annoying. He scrubbed at his face with his palms and realised that he already had a solid beard starting. He groaned as he gathered the things he’d need and headed for the bathroom at the end of the hall.  _ Dad, I ache! _ He thought as he shut the bathroom door behind him. The damn room was huge, Gabriel stared for a moment. He dumped his towel on the bench in the middle of the room, and his clothes soon joined it, he kept the smelly shirt separate so that it could be washed later. He tugged the wash products out of the toiletries bag and headed for the nearest shower. The water pressure was impressive, he marvelled at it a little, while he waited for the hot water to warm up. When he stepped under the stream, he made another noise that he would later deny. It felt so good he thought he might cry. After languishing for a while in the blissfully hot water and a good scrub, Gabriel stepped out of the shower and ran a hand over his jaw, yeah, time for a shave.

 

When Sam finally headed down the hall to bed, he was surprised to see the bathroom light was still on. He went down and knocked on the door, “Gabe? Everything alright?”

 

When there was no answer, he assumed that Gabriel had simply left the light on, so he opened the door to switch it off and snorted when he caught sight of Gabriel instead. Gabriel was dressed in some boxers and Sam’s old shirt from the first night, slippers on his feet and a scowl on his face. He was leaning so far over the sink that it was digging into his belly and leaving a damp patch on his shirt. Where his cheeks and jaw weren’t covered in shaving foam the bristles had been scraped away unevenly leaving nicks in some places and hair in others. He had his face was so close to the mirror his nose was almost on the glass, and he was muttering to himself and swearing in what sounded like Enochian as he awkwardly tried to drag the razor over the curve of his jaw and down under his chin. Sam watched it happen in slow motion, unable to stop it. Gabriel’s hand was in the wrong position, he was trying to shave down where he should be shaving up, and as a result, his hand slipped, and he sliced across his jaw sharply. Sam cringed in sympathy and Gabriel swore explosively in several languages, throwing the razor at the mirror and pushing away from the sink violently to slap his hand over the bleeding cut.

 

Sam bit his lip to keep from laughing, how long had the poor guy been down here struggling with this? From the foam in the sink and the defeat in the slope of his shoulders, a long time. Sam came further into the room, “Want a hand?”

 

Gabriel glared at him, as if daring Sam to laugh at him. Sam put his hands up in a pacifying gesture, “I can leave you to it if you prefer but, you look exhausted.”

 

All the fight went out of Gabriel in an instant, he bent and picked up the razor, “Fine, show me how it’s done, Moose,” he held it out to Sam. 

 

Sam considered the outstretched razor for a moment before he came to a decision. He walked past Gabriel to the next sink and pulled his own razor out of the cabinet behind the mirror, “I usually do this in the morning but, here,” he ran some warm water into the sink and started lathering up his own face. From there it only took ten minutes to show Gabriel how to shave without cutting himself every stroke. Of course, he still nicked himself once or twice, but nothing like the scrape on his jaw that had happened as Sam came into the room. Sam smiled at seeing some of Gabriel’s frustration drain away as he put his razor away and Gabriel gathered up his dirty clothes and wet towel to dump in the hamper. As he walked back to pick up the bag with his toiletries, he gave Sam a considering look. He stuffed the whole bag, still open, on a shelf in the cabinet behind the mirror he’d been using and paused, “Thanks, Sam.” He didn’t wait for a response, just turned on his heel, gathered up his jeans and his appropriated hoodie, and walked out of the bathroom and down the hall. Sam watched him disappear with a thoughtful look on his face, if he didn’t know any better, he’d think Gabriel had been embarrassed. He grinned as he wiped out the sink and tossed the dirty towel into the laundry hamper with Gabriel’s. He switched off the light and pulled the door shut as he left. On his way to his own room, he rapped on Dean’s and Gabriel’s doors in passing and called out a general ‘goodnight’ to everyone smiling faintly as he got a faint reply from Dean and a chorus from Gabriel’s room, Gabriel’s sing-song response and Cas’s calm one. 

 

Castiel was waiting for Gabriel when he came back from the bathroom. He dumped his jeans and hoodie on top of the chest at the foot of the bed, yanked his slippers off and belly-flopped onto his bed groaning. With great effort, he dragged himself up to his pillow and yanked the blankets over his shoulders. He made grabby hands at Castiel who simply rolled his eyes before stripping off his shoes, socks and pants and climbing into the bed beside Gabriel who immediately curled up against his side. With the bond open and Castiel’s grace and body pressed up alongside him, Gabriel fell asleep quickly that night. The day out had been good for both of them, Castiel’s instincts were quickly reconnecting with his memories, and he was stronger for it. He’d seen the way Cas had been watching him when he first dug his toes into the grass to connect to the earth it probably wouldn’t be long before Cas worked out that that was what he’d been doing. Kid always had been a fast learner, after all, he’d have his wings back up to snuff in no time.


	6. Ah-choo and Ah-sneeze part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel learns the explosive power of a sneeze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, blame any errors on the robot.
> 
> italics= thoughts/memories  
> [angel radio/bond speek]
> 
> sorry for the delay, I got caught up with family stuff.
> 
> Kudos give me the warm fuzzies and comments provoke a pterodactyl shriek of joy

The next morning Gabriel woke with an even worse headache, his body ached, and his head felt, at the same time, stuffed with cotton wool and like someone was beating on it with Mjolnir. He groaned into Cas’s shoulder, “what time ‘s it?”  
  
“About 8 o’clock,” and then, “what’s wrong?” when Gabriel groaned again in pain. He looked down at Gabriel in concern and Gabriel squinted up at him as though blaming him somehow.  
  
“I ache,” Gabriel stopped, speaking made his throat burn faintly. He grunted with effort as he rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up. As he dragged his body upright the throbbing in his head seemed to double in intensity. Cas made a concerned sound and climbed out of bed to come around in front of his brother as Gabriel heaved himself to his feet with another groan.  
  
“Perhaps you used your power too much yesterday.” Cas shifted a little uncomfortably as he said it and Gabriel saw his wings droop behind him.  
  
“Hey, nope,” Gabriel poked his brother in the chest to make his point, “none of that. Besides, I hardly used any, in fact, I picked up some! I can feel as far as the walls of the bunker now. I probably just feel like crap because I’m not used to operating on such low reserves ok?” He reached up and combed his fingers through Cas’ hair, pushing it back off his forehead and smoothing it back, “now, whaddya say we go get some breakfast small fry?”  
  
The old nickname seemed to trigger something in Castiel. His shoulders dropped, and he went suddenly still. “You used to call me that,” he tilted his head as he looked down at Gabriel, “it used to irritate me.”  
  
Gabriel grinned and reached out through their bond, wondering what memory had surfaced to make Cas look at him like he wanted to shake him. As he felt Cas draw him into the memory, he caught a glimpse of his brother’s wings bristling in irritation as he narrowed his eyes at Gabriel.  
  
This time, there was no sitting on the sidelines to watch, Gabriel was drawn directly into the memory.  
  
_“Ha HA! Catch me if you can small fry!” He was darting in and out of the trees in the Garden, Castiel trailing along behind him, the book he had snatched from his fledgeling brother tucked securely under his arm._  
  
_“Stop calling me that! I hate it!” Castiel wobbled alarmingly in the air as he curved around a tree to race after Gabriel. He was huffing with exertion, and his wings ached with the strain of trying to catch The Messenger. He could hear Gabriel laughing up ahead and pushed himself as fast as he could, but he only seemed to be dropping further and further behind._  
  
_Gabriel turned to fly on his back and laughed when he saw the little black-winged seraph wobble as he took a turn too loosely. “What? Smallfry? But Cassie, it suits you so well! You’re practically pocket-sized.” He sniggered as he saw his little brother’s faces turn red in rage._  
  
_Castiel gasped and faltered, his left wing had suddenly gone numb and heavy. “I am not!” He hated the crack in his voice as he started to lag further and further back, his wing refusing to obey his command, he began to drift toward the ground._  
  
_Gabriel pulled up sharply when he saw it; he hadn’t realised that he’d gone too far. He never seemed to know when to stop teasing his siblings. It was why Mikey assigned him so much reading so often. He could tell he’d taken it much too far this time. His youngest brother was far behind and drifting downward. Fast. Gabriel could see the jerky movement of a pulled muscle from pushing too hard on young wings and could hear the ragged gasps for breath. Gabriel didn’t even hesitate or think, he just dove, barreling toward his little fledgeling at top speed, the stolen book forgotten completely. When he reached him they were alarmingly close to the ground, so Gabriel dived under the little seraph, looped Cas’ arms around his shoulders and rose up under him. Cas safely tucked in against his back between his wings, he drifted slowly down to a safe spot and touched down as gently as he could. He could feel Castiel, still pressed against his back, trembling as he gasped for breath,_  
  
_“I’m still mad at you!”_  
  
_“I know kiddo, I am sorry,” Gabriel reached up and took hold of Cas’ hand, “here let me turn around so I can see that wing.” He felt Castiel shake his head against his shoulder and he was about to ask why not before he heard a sniffle. “Ah Hell!” He whirled around to face the kid and bundled him up in arms and wings as tightly as he dared, knowing about the injury. Cas burrowed into him,_  
  
_“I hate you,” he muttered into Gabriel’s shoulder._  
  
_“Yeah I know kiddo, I’m sorry. Let me look at your wing alright?” He dragged his fingers through the mess of black hair pressed under his chin and then, gently, down along trembling feathers to inspect the damage. He kept his other hand rubbing soothing circles on the back of his head as he reached into the wing with a tiny tendril of grace to assess what needed to be done. “It’s only a slight sprain kiddo, bit of rest and you should be fine by tomorrow,” he drew back slightly to look at Cas, “I am sorry, truly.” He used a little grace to clean away the tears and sweat from the chase._  
  
_Castiel stepped back a little, though not out of the safe cocoon of Gabriel’s wings, “it’s alright brother, may I have my book back please?”_  
_Gabriel froze, “Uh…”_  
  
_Castiel blinked at his brother, “you dropped it didn’t you?”_  
  
_Gabriel glanced to the side in chagrin, “maybe? I’ll go look for it.” He was interrupted by a snigger._  
  
_Castiel’s shoulders shook with laughter, “The Messenger of our Father,” he laughed, “dropped his cargo! On the Garden floor no less!”_  
  
_Gabriel blinked at the little seraph, howling with laughter on the grass, “yeah yeah, laugh it up small fry,” he narrowed his eyes at Castiel._  
  
_Castiel glared at him for the use of the nickname but didn’t stop laughing. Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes with a smile, “it’s not really that funny kid.”_  
  
_Castiel, whose giggles were finally subsiding, sighed, “it really is_ brother _.”_  
_He straightened up and tucked his wings close to himself, “come on, we should go find my book. Raphael will not be pleased if it is not returned tonight.”_  
  
As they came back to themselves, the first thing Gabriel saw was Castiel glaring at him.  
  
“You tormented me!” He looked horrified, “was it always like that?”  
  
Gabriel shook his head, “no! Most of the time when I called you small fry you just chucked whatever you had in your hands at me. Once you worked out that I wouldn’t get mad at you for it, that is.”  
  
Castiel blinked owlishly, “I used to throw things at you?”  
  
This time the memory that surfaced was much too short to share, but Gabriel saw the changes in his brother’s face.  
  
“I used to throw books at you!”  
  
Gabriel grinned as he gathered up the blue blanket he had been using as a robe the previous day and yanked his slippers onto his feet. “Yep,” he popped the ‘p’ obnoxiously, “didn’t usually hit me though. I’m still not convinced you were really trying to hit me, just, expressing your displeasure.” He laughed at the thoughtful look on Cas’ face and reached out with his grace. He sighed and hummed in contentment when Castiel reached back and warmed him briefly. As they made their way down to the kitchen, Gabriel scrubbed his hand against the side of his head in an effort to dispel the ever-present ache there. There was an itching in the back of his throat and an odd stinging tingle behind his eyes. Whatever the hell was going on it was unbelievably irritating. When they came into the kitchen the greeting they received was not what Gabriel had been expecting.  
  
  
Sam was engrossed in a newspaper article, from Wichita, on his laptop when Cas and Gabriel came in for breakfast. He looked up as Gabe sat down at the table and Cas headed over to make toast and coffee, “Man, you look like crap.” Gabriel glared at him, still half asleep from the looks of things, but it was true. The Archangel’s skin looked pale and clammy, and there were dark circles under his eyes. The more Sam looked, the more unwell Gabriel seemed. He kept scrunching up his nose and rubbing at it with his hand, the skin already beginning to redden. He looked miserable.  
  
Cas came over to the table with two steaming mugs,“Would you like a fresh coffee Sam?”  
  
Sam nodded to Cas but didn’t look away from Gabriel, “Seriously, you don’t look well. Are you feeling alright?”  
  
Gabriel scrubbed at his nose again and growled in frustration, “no! I feel awful! My head hurts, and my throat feels like it’s on fire, my whole body aches and I can’t even check myself over and heal my damned vessel!” He slouched lower in his seat, “I am having words with my father when this is all finished, just you wait.” The tingling was happening again, making his eyes water. Gabriel scrunched his nose up in irritation and then barely had a second to be alarmed before his body was moving without his say so. His lungs dragged in a sharp breath and jerked violently. And there was a noise too! A horrible loud noise as air rushed out of his mouth and nose so fast it threw him first back and then forward in his seat.  
  
Sam watched in concern as Gabriel scrunched his nose up again and then suddenly jerked upright in his seat and sneezed violently. He clapped his hands over his nose and mouth and stared at Sam, wide-eyed and horrified. Sam tried, he really did, but Gabriel went from looking terrified to looking mortally offended by the sneeze. He managed to choke out a quick, “gesundheit,” before he lost it and flopped over sideways laughing.  
  
Gabriel was horrified. What the damned hell was his body doing? That Dad awful sound had not been even remotely voluntary! And now Sam was laughing at him. He glared at him, but that just seemed to set off another round of cackling from the moose, what, in Heaven’s name, was that? He tried to ask Sam only for his throat to decide that now would be a good time to evacuate via his mouth.  
  
The violent coughing fit that followed the sneeze, when Gabriel tried to talk, silenced Sam’s laughter fairly quickly and he got up from the table and came around beside Gabriel. Gentle hands guided him into a straighter posture, one on his forehead and the other pressing lightly on his spine. Gabriel found that, despite the inability to breathe without choking at that moment, he was sorry to see the smile disappear from Sam’s face.  
  
“Easy Gabe,” the hand on his back travelled gently up and down his spine between his wings, though Sam would have no idea, “slow breaths, that’s it.”  
  
Gabriel melted into the contact and, little by little, the coughing eased up. A glass of water appeared in his line of vision, and he accepted it gratefully, sipping from it as Sam guided him to sit back in his chair. He looked up at Sam who was now looking down at him with real concern, one hand still gently resting on his forehead. Sam’s fingers felt cool to the touch and so soothing that Gabriel lifted the glass to his temple and sighed at the contact.  
  
“You’re burning up pretty bad, you should go back to bed Gabriel,” he moved away to the fridge and Gabriel mourned the loss of those long, cool fingers on his heated skin. Sam came back over with a cold gel pack in his hand and hoisted Gabriel to his feet, “come on, back to your room. Coughing, sneezing and a fever means you have a cold, which means you’ll be fine, but you need to rest. Colds suck, but they don’t kill.”  
  
Gabriel didn’t even bother with a token protest. He sneezed three more times as they shuffled down the hall, which made his head pound and his throat burn. They passed Dean in the hall, and before the elder Winchester could even open his mouth, Gabriel sneezed explosively into his blanket. Gabriel saw the twitch of Dean’s mouth as he struggled not to laugh and glared half-heartedly at him, “not a word Deano.”  
  
He saw Sam shake his head at Dean and Dean coughed, “Feel better soon short stack,” was all he said as he continued down the hall.  
  
Sam got him to his room and helped him get his slippers off and strip back down to get into bed. Once he was settled Sam headed for the door, “I’ll just be a second,” he paused at the door, “I don’t know how effective it’ll be on an Archangel but I’m gonna grab you some cold medicine ok?”  
  
Gabriel nodded, not daring to speak in case it prompted another round of coughing. As Sam left Castiel came into the room, smiling sympathetically at Gabriel, “I am sorry I can’t help Gabriel.”  
  
Gabriel waved him into silence, [ just get in here will you.]  
  
Castiel stripped out of the clothes he had put on only minutes before and climbed into the bed behind Gabriel. Gabriel pressed his back against his brother and sighed in relief, even proximity to Cas’ grace through the bond helped ease the pain in his head and throat.  
  
As Sam came back into the room, he heard Gabriel sigh. There was an unsettling wet rattle to the breath that further convinced Sam that the cold medicine was needed. He placed the water bottle he’d grabbed on the side table as Cas helped Gabriel sit up. First, he gave him some Tylenol for the headache and then a dose of an off-brand cough syrup that claimed to be just as good as Ny-Quill. As he laid back down, Sam handed Cas the cool-pad from the fridge, and Gabriel groaned in relief as it was pressed against the back of his neck.  
  
“See if you can get him to finish that water before midday ok?” Sam headed towards the door, “I’ll come see how he is then.”  
  
Castiel nodded and Sam and began gently raking his fingers through Gabriel’s hair, “I’ll do my best, thank you, Sam.”  
  
Sam watched Cas gently comb his brother’s hair with his fingers for a moment longer, then he smiled and, nodding silently, left the room and closed the door.  
  
“What the hell was that?” Dean was sitting at the table, drinking the coffee Cas made for Gabriel when Sam walked back into the kitchen.  
  
Sam grunted as he sat back in his seat, “Gabriel sneezed, and it was hilarious,” he dragged his laptop over to himself, “he looked so offended and shocked.” he trailed off, laughing at the memory of Gabriel’s wide, horrified eyes.  
  
“He looked like he was ready to cry back there,” Dean grinned.  
  
Sam glanced back at his laptop and followed a link to another related article. The case was sounding more and more like their kind of thing.  
  
  
Back down the hall, Gabriel had given up talking out loud for fear of coughing again and was only speaking to Cas through the bond. The amount of use it was getting had helped to strengthen the bond considerably, and as a result, while it was open on both ends, he could feel everything from Cas. Worry and concern probed around Gabriel’s awareness along with a strong desire to make everything better, and it gave Gabriel a warm feeling deep down. It was nice to have someone worry about him again. He pressed back into the cool pressure of the cool pack, [you don’t have to stay y’know,] he heard Cas sigh, [you should go back out and try to collect a bit more grace while you still have time before you have to go back.] He felt Cas shift behind him, [look Cassie, the medicine Sam gave me is gunna kick in and then I’ll probably fall asleep right? So there’s really nothing you can do to help, is there?]  
  
Cas shifted behind him again, “no I guess not,” he trailed off.  
  
[Well then, you might as well be doing something productive that will help us both in the long run, right?] Cas was silent, [go, Cassie, I’ll be fine.]  
  
“Fine,” Castiel agreed, at last, “but we’re keeping the bond open and I’ll be coming back to check on you regularly.”  
  
In lieu of a proper response, Gabriel just hummed, already beginning to feel the effects of the medicine Sam had given him. Castiel settled the cool pack against Gabriel’s neck and climbed out of bed. Once he was dressed again he came around to place his hand on Gabriel’s forehead, “before I go you should drink some of this,” he lifted the water bottle to hand it to Gabriel who scrunched his face up in distaste and sat up.  
  
The last thing Gabriel wanted to do was sit up, but Cas was handing him a water bottle and demanding he drink, so he did. Under Cas’ watchful eye, he drank half the bottle of water and handed it back to him. Seemingly satisfied, Cas capped the bottle and helped Gabriel to lie back down and pulled the blanket up over his shoulder. Curling up on his side, Gabriel closed his eyes and listened to Cas’ fading footsteps as they retreated down the hall. He could feel the cold medicine working its way through his body, easing the aching in his, everything, making his limbs feel heavy and clumsy. With a last rattling sigh, he drifted off to sleep.  
  
When Cas entered the kitchen, Sam was sitting at his laptop scrolling quickly and reading, his brow creased in concentration.  
  
“Gabriel is asleep,” Sam looked up at him, “he was adamant that I go out and continue restoring my grace.”  
  
“Ok sure, I’ll go check on him in an hour or so if you like,” he pushed away from the table as he spoke, “I’m almost done here anyway.” He looked over at Cas as he poured himself a fresh cup of coffee,  
  
“That would be helpful, yes, thank you, Sam.”  
  
Sam sat back down with his coffee, smiling faintly, he tugged his laptop closer to him and went back to his reading as Cas headed out of the bunker. After a moment Sam looked back up at the doorway, he was almost certain that Cas had left barefoot.


	7. Ah Choo and Ah Sneeze pt2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vomiting is never fun, least of all if you've never done it before and Sam's chicken soup would win Master Chef.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the same formatting as before, you crazy kids know the drill by now. 
> 
> As per usual, blame any errors on the robot but if you spot a typo please tell me and I'll fix it.
> 
> Kudos give the author warm fuzzy feelings and comments will provoke incomprehensible screeching of joy and pterodactyl shrieks of euphoria.
> 
> Enjoy you nerds, I love ya.

Gabriel groaned as he rolled over in bed, once Cas had left he’d powered up the wards on his door, just in case. Which meant that the coughing fit that had happened a minute later would not bring Cas running back, or Sam down the hall. He rolled over again and resisted the temptation to groan again. His chest ached from coughing and so did his head, his throat burned and he could no longer breathe through his nose. He wanted to cry, which seemed an overreaction to Gabriel, considering what he’d been through in his lifetime. He lay on his side sweating and trying to breathe through his mouth. Staring vacantly at the empty water bottle and tepid cool pack on the side table, he took a slow breath and blinked back tears.  _ This is ridiculous; _ he turned his head to stare at the ceiling,  _ get a grip, Gabriel! You are an Archangel and the Messenger of God!  _ A few tears dripped back into his hairline,  _ oh for crying out loud! This is so stupid! _ He scrubbed his hands over his face with a growl of frustration. Or it would have been a growl, had his throat not been so raw from coughing, what came out instead was a pitiful whimper. 

 

As the middle of the day rolled around Sam finally shut his laptop, there was a probable werewolf in a place called Oatville in Wichita but, he wanted to wait for the response from the local law enforcement before he brought it up with Dean. He stood up and stretched, groaning as his spine clicked loudly after sitting hunched at the table for so long. He figured it was about time he checked on their resident Archangel, to see if he needed more cold medicine, so he headed down to Gabriel’s room. The hall was oddly silent as he neared the door and Sam frowned, “Gabriel,” he called gently as he pushed the door open. He was greeted with a distressed sound from the hunched shape on the bed. Concerned he crossed the room swiftly and crouched down beside the bed to put his hand on Gabriel’s forehead. The archangel was sweating, and his skin looked grey, as he looked at Sam, his eyes widened. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but didn’t speak, “hey, you ok? What’s happened?” As Sam spoke, Gabriel started struggling to sit upright, groping along Sam’s arm for support. He looked at Sam in alarm.

 

“I feel,” it was barely more than a hoarse whisper, “I don’t know! Sam!”

 

Seconds before it happened, Sam knew what was happening. He stood sharply and stepped to the side, reaching out to support Gabriel by his arm as he heaved and emptied his stomach onto the floor beside the bed. He stayed where he was, rubbing his free hand across Gabriel’s back, and occasionally through his hair, mumbling reassurances. He sent a quick prayer to Castiel for help and sat down beside the shaking Archangel on the bed. It was several minutes before the heaving stopped, and Sam helped ease Gabriel back from the hunched position he’d ended up in, “easy Gabe,” he gently guided him away from the acrid smelling puddle on the floor. Gabriel coughed wetly a few more times and let Sam move him to the other end of the bed without complaint. “That’s it,” Sam pushed the hair off his sweaty forehead again and pressed his cool fingers to Gabriel’s temples. Gabriel sniffled, and Sam’s brow creased briefly in consideration for a moment before smoothing out in realisation. He crouched down and wrapped his arms around Gabriel without a word.

 

Gabriel stiffened at first, when Sam hugged him, but only for a moment. The contact made every muscle in his body go limp, and he fell forward onto Sam’s shoulder and hung on for dear life. He  _ never _ wanted to do that again. Throwing up had to be the most revolting and painful thing he’d ever experienced. Without his say-so, Gabriel started crying, and, to his horror, there was sobbing involved. 

 

At the first sob, Sam lifted one of his hands to the back of Gabriel’s head, under the sobbing, Sam could just make out words,

 

“Fucking horrible!”

 

“Yeah I know,” he ran his fingers through Gabriel’s hair.

 

“Burns Sam! And it’s in my  _ nose! _ ”

 

As the tears subsided and Gabriel got a hold of himself Castiel jogged down the hall and into the room. Without a word he was across the room and gathering Gabriel into his arms, Sam handed him over to Cas with a nod. “Hey Cas,” the angel looked up at Sam, “why don’t you take him into your room while I clean this up then he can have a hot shower to help with the coughing?”

 

Castiel nodded and, without a word, hefted Gabriel into his arms like a child and carried him down the hall. Once he was alone, Sam surveyed the mess on the floor. The rug beside the bed was a write-off, and the sheets on the bed would need to be washed. He looked at the side table; he’d need to wipe that down too. Taking a deep breath Sam bit the bullet and bent down to roll up the ruined rug, the smell made him gag, but he picked up the filthy carpet and dragged it down the hall and outside to the trash. Once back in the room he stripped the soiled sheets off the bed and dumped them in the laundry tub to soak. While he was there, he grabbed fresh sheets, a bottle of disinfectant spray and a sponge. Once the bed was remade, and he deemed the room sufficiently clean, Sam ducked into a few of the other empty bedrooms. Finding what he was looking for he rolled up the fleecy rug and dragged it down the hall to Gabriel’s room. With that done he knocked on Cas’ door and stuck his head in the room, “all clear,” he smiled gently at the pair on the bed. 

 

Gabriel looked exhausted, sitting propped up, with his back against Cas’ chest, “thanks,” he croaked, levering himself up. Cas helped him to his feet, and both he and Sam supported Gabriel down towards the bathroom. They stopped briefly in Gabriel’s doorway so he could grab a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt, Sam saw his eyes catch on the new rug on the floor and smiled to himself. He let Gabriel lean most of his weight on him while Cas collected the required items, and then they headed down into the bathroom where Sam went along and turned three of the showers on hot, filling the room with steam. Gabriel looked at him in question, “the steam will help clear your nose and might ease that cough a bit.” Gabriel nodded in understanding and Sam left them to it, heading down to grab a bucket and some old towels from the laundry.

 

By the time he had showered and made it back into his freshly made bed, Gabriel felt like a limp noodle. He felt even worse than he had the day he first woke up. He lay on his side, propped up on an angle with an extra pillow, facing the side of the bed without the rug. On the floor in front of him, there was a white bucket and two large towels spread on the floor. He assumed that the bucket was there in case his stomach decided to make a nuisance of itself again. Sam had been right, the steam had helped, and then the second dose of medicine had helped even more. Gabriel blinked tiredly, puking and then crying all over Sam Winchester was, in hindsight, horribly embarrassing. Sam though, Sam just rolled with it, he let Gabriel wail on his shoulder like a snotty human child. Gabriel’s chest ached in a way that had nothing to do with his cold. The gentleness, in every gesture and word from Sam in that moment, bewildered Gabriel. Sure Sam had said he didn’t have the energy to waste on grudges but, Gabriel sighed, Sam confused the heck outta him. He didn’t trust Gabriel, not really, not yet, but he treated Gabriel with nothing but kindness, and for some reason it made Gabriel’s chest ache. He didn’t get to contemplate much longer before the exhaustion dragged him down into sleep.

 

“So,” said Dean as Sam walked back into the kitchen, “how’s the little plague carrier?”

 

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother, “pretty awful actually, he’s got a pretty bad case of the flu,” Dean raised his eyebrows in question, “poor guy just learned what it feels like to puke. Ruined the rug that was in his room.”

 

“Oh come on!” Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he put down his sandwich, “did you clean it up?”

 

“Yeah, Cas is with him now,” Dean nodded in understanding and Sam pulled some of the leftover takeout out of the fridge. While it was heating up in the microwave, Sam poured himself a cup of coffee. “Hey,” the microwave beeped, and Sam got up, “did Cas tell you what him and Gabriel were doing yesterday?” He sat back down and dug into his food.

 

Dean coughed, “uh yeah, said the half pint taught him how to recharge his batteries without help from heaven.” He stood up and took his plate over to the sink so that his back was to Sam, “he said if they keep it up he might be able to fly properly again soon.” 

 

In fact, when Cas had come into the kitchen that evening, he had been radiating happiness. He had greeted Dean with a big dumb smile on his face and proceeded to wax poetic to him, for around ten minutes, about what a magnificent time he’d had. Some of the descriptions sounded crazy to Dean, talking about rushing around in the roots of flowers and trees and crap, but the way Cas spoke made it sound pretty awesome anyway. He was more animated than Dean had ever seen him, and Dean wondered absently whether that was because of whatever Gabriel had done to repair what Naomi had done to Cas or if it was just the result of having spent some quality time with a family member who wasn’t trying to kill him. Whatever it was, Dean decided it was a good look and, as Sam and Gabriel had come in to dinner, Cas had started explaining to him how the healing Gabriel had done had unlocked a lot of old memories that kept surfacing at odd times. Memories of learning to fly; that story had made Dean’s heart do a funny flop in his chest, which he ignored. The unabashed joy in the angel’s face seemed, to Dean, all the more reason to put up with the ex-trickster. The way Cas practically beamed at Gabriel, when the Archangel walked behind him and ruffled his hair, cemented that thought in Dean’s mind. Most wouldn’t have seen it, but Dean had known Cas long enough to see the way every muscle in his face relaxed just a bit, crinkling the corners of his eyes and tilting his lips up, just so. The rest of it was in those blue eyes, somehow you looked at Cas’ eyes, and you just  _ knew _ he was smiling.

 

Around three in the afternoon, Sam’s laptop pinged to tell him he had an email. It was the lieutenant in Oatville, he’d emailed back at last with the details Sam had asked for, trouble was, Gabriel was pretty sick, and Cas had to head back to heaven tomorrow. It didn’t feel right to leave him alone in the bunker to go hunting, not after seeing the state he was in at lunch time. He turned his laptop around to show Dean and explained his misgivings. They both sat for a moment in silence and then,

 

“ok, well, how ‘bout this,” Dean looked up from the coroner's report in the email, “it looks pretty cut and dried right?” 

 

Sam nodded, “yeah, werewolf, no doubt.”

 

Dean inclined his head, “so, why don’t I go check it out and you can stay here with Princess Peach? If it goes south, I can always call Cas.”

 

Sam pressed his lips together, he didn’t like the idea of Dean hunting alone, but they couldn’t leave the werewolf running rampant in Wichita, and they couldn’t leave Gabriel alone in the bunker. There wasn’t really another option, so he nodded, “yeah, alright.” He turned his laptop back to himself, “relax Dean,” he shook his head at his brother’s squark of protest, “I’m forwarding you all the information.”

 

“Ok, well,” Dean pushed away from the table and stood up, “ I’d better give Cas the heads up and get my gear together. I’ll head out early tomorrow morning.”

 

Sam nodded and clicked send on the email before shutting his laptop down for the night, “call me if you need anything ok?”

 

“Yeah yeah,” Dean waved him off and disappeared out the door, “bitch.”

 

“Jerk,” Sam grinned for a moment. Sobering, he stood up, he knew Dean could look after himself, but that didn’t mean he had to like the idea of his brother hunting without proper backup. Sure Cas could be there in an instant, but Dean would actually have to call for him first. He started dragging the makings of a chicken and vegetable soup out of the cupboards; if he started now, it would be ready in time to give Gabe an early dinner. Not having eaten all day, he needed something easy on the stomach but full of nutrition, soup was his best bet if he wanted to keep the meal down. Plus, it was what Dean always made for him when he got sick.

  
  


After Gabriel had fallen asleep, Castiel had settled against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him. He had one hand resting lightly on Gabriel’s back, occasionally tracing his fingers gently over the base of his primary wings. The other held his phone up, he’d been playing a game called Candy Crush since his brother had fallen asleep, it was surprisingly entertaining for such a simple premise, and Castiel found that the time passed remarkably quickly before there was a soft knock on Gabriel’s door.

 

When he heard Cas call out, Dean opened the door and stuck his head through the doorway, “Hey Cas,” Cas nodded, and Dean kept his voice as low as possible, “you got a second? I wanna talk to you about something, but I don’t wanna wake Sleepin’ Beauty over there.”

 

Cas offered up a faint smile, and tucked his phone in his pocket, before carefully clambering off the bed, “of course Dean.” He made his way over to the door, and Dean pushed it wider to let him pass, “what is it?”

 

Dean cast one last look at the sleeping Archangel,  _ hell that’s weird! There’s an Archangel right there, sleeping! _ Then he pulled the door shut and gestured to Cas to follow him down the hall. Cas stood in the doorway to Dean’s room and listened as he explained the situation in Wichita.

 

“So, I’m gonna go alone, and Sam’s gonna stay here, but Sam wants me to have backup so, if anything goes south, can I call you?”

 

Castiel blinked, “of course Dean, you need only pray, and I will help in any way I can.”

 

Dean grinned, “thanks, Cas, knew I could count on ya buddy.” Castiel couldn’t help but preen under Dean’s pleased gaze. Dean patted him on the shoulder as he walked past him and out of the bedroom, “would you mind letting Sam know you’re on board? I gotta go grab a couple’ things so I can leave first thing.” At Castiel’s nod, he headed off down the hall, leaving Cas to go and find Sam in his own time.

 

Sam was just chopping the last of the vegetables while the chicken boiled when Castiel came into the Kitchen, “hey,” he turned to Cas, “Dean already talk to you?”

 

“Yes,” Castiel tried to look into the pot, “what is this?” He tilted his head, and Sam chuckled,

 

“It’s going to be chicken soup, it’ll be another hour or more before it’s ready but,” he shrugged, “I figured it’d be something Gabriel could keep down.” The pot hissed, and Sam turned to tilt the lid to create a vent for the steam, “It might make him feel better to have something substantial in his stomach.”

 

Castiel smiled, “yes, it probably will,” he angled himself toward the door, “Sam?” Sam hummed in acknowledgement, “I will keep an eye on Dean,” Sam looked up at him, “he won’t really be alone.”

 

“Thanks, Cas,” he smiled, “I appreciate it.” At that, Castiel nodded and headed back to Gabriel’s room.

 

When Gabriel woke up he was alone again, he allowed himself a moment to feel miserable for himself, and then he sat up and reached for the water bottle on his bedside table. As he sipped, he looked up, “the flu is punishment for walking slowly isn’t it you asshole?” The croak of his own voice was somewhat alarming, and he coughed in surprise as he put his water back down. “Oh yeah,” he flopped back onto his pillows and dragged the blankets up to his chin, “definitely a punishment.” He rolled onto his back as Cas came in,

 

“Gabriel! How are you feeling?” He came and sat back beside him on the bed and Gabriel rolled closer, pressing his forehead against Cas’ knee.

 

“Hey Cas,” he kept his voice to a whisper, the croak of full volume was uncomfortable, “do you still remember that song Joshua used to sing?”

 

Castiel looked down, he was silent for a moment, and Gabriel turned his head to look up at him. Then Cas opened his mouth and started singing, the ancient Enochian rolled through the room, thrumming with the angel’s true voice. Cas raised one hand and traced his fingers through Gabriel’s hair. The song was an old one about the birth of the first Seraphs, Joshua taught it to all the fledgelings as soon as they could sing. He never told them who had written it though, and as Gabriel listened to his little brother sing the words he had composed as he watched the birth of the first Seraphs, the wonder and joy of that moment flooded back to him. He could see himself standing beside Lucifer as they watched the tiny creature come into being at their Father’s fingertips and, as it took its first breath, felt the joy burst out of his chest. Lucifer had teased him for weeks afterwards, calling him ‘Songbird’ and doing impressions of Gabriel bursting into song. Now he let the words he had sung so many millennia ago, wash over him. Cas, for all he was a soldier, had always had such a strong voice. It was much lower than Gabriel’s own, but it did his words justice, and it soothed Gabriel into an almost-sleep. He stayed in that state, just drifting, with Cas gently trailing his fingers through his hair, until there was a soft knock at the door. Castiel called out permission to enter, but the door didn’t open. Gabriel heaved himself upright and looked at Cas, [it’s Sam. Why isn’t he coming in?] Cas shrugged and called out again for Sam to come in.

 

Sam had not thought his decision through. Here he was, standing in the hall, a bowl of soup in each hand, and no way to open the door. He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, “Uh,” he cleared his throat, “I, uh, can’t. I don’t have a free hand.” As he finished speaking the door swung open to reveal Cas, “I brought dinner,” he lifted the bowls, “figured Gabriel wouldn’t wanna drag himself down to the kitchen for it.”

 

“Dinner?” Sam looked over Cas’ shoulder to where Gabriel was sitting up in bed looking interested.

 

Sam grinned, and Cas stepped back to let him in, taking one of the bowls as Sam passed him. “Yeah, chicken soup figured you’d need something light but tasty.” He handed the second bowl to Gabriel who dug in immediately. 

 

The noise that followed his first spoonful was borderline pornographic, “holy crap! Where did this come from?” His voice sounded like he’d been gargling rocks.

 

Sam grinned, “I made it,” he smirked a little, “do you need a moment alone with your soup?”

Gabriel nearly spit his mouthful out, which would have been a terrible waste, since the soup was a delicious broth packed with chunks of tasty vegetables and big chunks of chicken. He narrowed his eyes at Sam, “you made this?” When Sam nodded, Gabriel grinned, “You’re giving me this recipe!” he demanded, pointing his spoon at Sam. “Where did you learn this?”

 

Sam looked startled for a moment, then his face softened into a crooked smile, “Dean taught me,” he stuffed his hands in his pockets, mind wandering back to the day spent in Bobby’s kitchen, “he used to make it for me when I got sick.” Gabriel didn’t seem to know what to do with that, so Sam moved toward the door, “well, I better go get Dean and tell him food’s up.”

 

Cas smiled, “Thank you for the soup Sam.”

 

“Yeah, Thanks, Sam, it’s,” he trailed off, shovelling more into his mouth and, instead of finishing his sentence, moaned in bliss again. 

 

“No problem,” Sam smiled and headed back into the hall, making his way back to the kitchen.

 

Dean was already at the table with his own bowl of soup when Sam arrived, “Hey Sammy,” Sam smiled by way of a  greeting, “you got good at this recipe man.” He scooped up another mouthful, “this is awesome.”

 

Sam grinned to himself, secretly pleased to have such high praise from Dean, “thanks. I learned from the best.”

 

Dean grinned smugly, “yeah ya did.”

 

The rest of the night was spent in quiet comfort and companionship. Eventually, between them, they decided it was time for bed and so, after a quick detour to give Gabriel one last dose of cold medicine, Sam headed into his room. Hopefully tomorrow, Gabriel would be feeling well enough to get up.


	8. Archangels are Shitty Patients.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finally got my shit together and finished torturing Gabriel. He still has the flu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am currently stuck with only Grammarly as my beta and editing platform so if you kids notice any glaring errors please let me know.

Well, Gabriel was well enough to get up alright, and he hadn’t stopped complaining since. If it weren’t so damn hilarious, it would probably have driven Sam up the wall by now.   
  
That morning Dean had been up and heading out around the same time that Sam was leaving for his morning run, so he’d seen his brother off before starting off in the opposite direction. The hour of running had helped to clear his head a little, he was still a little stuck on why Gabriel seemed to be so confused each time he was treated with respect or kindness. It was as though the Archangel expected the opposite. Sure he’d been an ass to Sam in the past, and he was probably aware that Sam didn’t trust him yet but, that didn’t seem like enough reason to treat someone as cruelly as Gabriel seemed to expect from him. Perhaps it had something to do with his time spent among the Norse gods.  
  
Gabriel shuffled into the kitchen wearing a pair of flannel pyjama pants and a t-shirt. He had to bite his lip to keep his smile in check, the powered down Archangel looked pathetic. He was flushed with fever, his nose was bright red, and Sam could hear him sniffling every few seconds. Sam watched in silence as Gabriel groaned dramatically and dropped into a chair,  
  
“Have you seen my blanket gigantor?”  
  
This time Sam couldn’t suppress his smile as he rolled his eyes, “yeah, I put it through the wash.” He turned and set about making Gabriel an omelette for breakfast, “it was gross, but I managed to salvage it. It’s in the dryer now, should be done by the time you’ve eaten.”  
  
Gabriel perked up a little at the mention of food, “so I can go get it once I eat whatever it is you have in that pan oh altitudinous one?”  
  
“Uh,” Sam shook his head and sighed in exasperation, “yeah pretty much. Altitudinous? Really?”  
  
Gabriel made a face, “shut up,” he sneezed into his hands, “oh, oh, gross! Sam! Help!” He seemed frozen in horror holding his cupped hands in front of his face, “stop laughing and help me, Sam!”  
  
Sam was gasping for breath, “your face,” he wheezed, “here,” he passed Gabriel a tissue from the box on the counter, “wipe your hands and your nose and then go wash your hands.”  
  
Gabriel took the tissue and scrubbed fervently at his hands, “that was repulsive,” he tossed the dirty tissue into the bin, “how do you humans do it? All the fluids and and,” he waved his hand helplessly, “fluids.” He finished lamely.  
  
Sam smiled faintly in understanding, “we don’t know any different,” he shrugged. “Go wash your hands, you’ll feel a bit better, I promise, then come back and eat.”  
  
Gabriel grunted and dragged himself upright and down the hall. As he came into his room and headed to the little sink there, Cas was hanging up his phone. “Done at last?” he looked over his shoulder at his brother, and his face fell, “you gotta go, dontcha?”  
  
“I can stay if you need me to brother,” but Gabriel cut him off with a shake of his head.  
  
“No way broheimme,” he dried his hands on his pants, “you go do important heaven things and come see me when it’s all settled ok?” He raised his eyebrows at Castiel, “no putting off important stuff for a cold, I’m not dying, and Sam is here so I’ll be fine. Do what you gotta do and come back when you can,” they walked back towards the kitchen together, “and get out now and then and keep working on those feathers alright?”  
  
As they came back into the kitchen, Sam placed a plate and mug down in front of the seat Gabriel had claimed earlier, “you gotta head out Cas?”  
  
Gabriel dropped back into his seat and dug into his food. Without a word, Sam moved the box of tissues to the table near him, and Gabriel narrowed his eyes, “not a word,” then he groaned because it had come out sounding more like ‘nod a burd’ because his nose had suddenly clogged up completely thanks to the hot food. He snatched a tissue and blew his nose.  
  
“Yes, Nuriel called, and I am needed sooner than expected; however, I will keep my promise and keep an eye on Dean for you. I will make sure he is safe Sam.”  
  
Sam nodded, “I know you will Cas,” he sat down across from Gabriel who was steadily shovelling food into his mouth, “do you have to go right now?”  
  
Cas sighed and smiled wanly, “I’m afraid so, yes.”  
  
“It’s alright Cas, you go, I’ll use the time to work on cataloguing more of the stuff in the storeroom.”  
  
Gabriel moaned, “booooring,” he rasped, only it sounded more like ‘borink’.   
  
Sam snorted, “you are gunna try and sleep some more,” Gabriel groaned in protest and Sam shook his head.  
  
“Oh come on,” Gabriel turned his poutiest puppy dog eyes on Sam, “can’t we just watch a movie or something?” Sam raised his eyebrows, “I can’t go back to bed, it’s so boring!”  
  
Sam tried not to laugh at how petulant Gabriel sounded, “Ok fine, but tomorrow I have to get some work done.”  
  
And they did, they made their way through a B grade zombie movie and part of an episode of Supergirl before it started. When they’d first sat down Gabriel had raced Sam to the armchair and claimed it as his own, so Sam had stretched out on the couch and left Gabriel to his imagined victory. However, now, Gabriel was noisily changing positions every few minutes. Slouched down with his feet on the edge of the chair one minute and then draped dramatically over the arms of the chair the next, huffing and sighing all the while. Sam pretended not to notice and kept his attention on the T.V. He had already been up and down a dozen times fetching, first, tissues and then a hot drink and then an extra pillow. It probably would have been irritating were it not for the fact that Gabriel still sounded like he’d been gargling rocks. The final straw was when the poor guy sneezed so suddenly and violently that it launched him into an upright position. He wheezed out a pained ‘ow’ and then groaned dramatically and flung himself back over the arm of the chair with a final pitiful cough,  
  
“Do you wanna swap chairs,” Sam was biting back a smile, “maybe you’ll fall asleep if you stretch out a bit.”  
  
He was doing exactly what Gabriel wanted but, on the plus side, if Gabriel fell asleep, then Sam could get some work done, so he heaved himself up and nudged Gabriel to do the same. Gabriel grimaced in complaint,  
  
“but Sam,” he drew out the middle vowel in a whine, “my whole body hurts, and I don’t wanna get up!” He pouted at Sam in an exaggerated look of pleading. Sam raised his eyebrows,   
  
“really?” Was all he said,  
  
Gabriel just pouted all the harder, “but Sam,” the petulant whine again, “I’m sick! You have to be nice to me! Isn’t that the rules? You have to be nice to people when they’re sick?”  
  
Sam shook his head, “I am being nice, I’m offering you my chair,” he grinned down at the pouting Archangel, “but if you don’t want it…”  
  
He moved as though to go back to his previous seat. Well, if looks could kill, Sam thought he’d probably have burned up right there. Before he could move another step, Gabriel dragged himself up and out of the armchair, with much groaning and performing, and slouched over to the couch with his blanket. Were it not for the faint wheezing with each breath Sam would have thought Gabriel was faking. As it was, he was pretty sure Gabriel was over-acting to hide how weak and unwell he truly was. Like, some kind of defence mechanism, so he let it go and dropped down into the now vacant armchair to watch the rest of the show.  
  
By the end of the episode, as Sam had expected, Gabriel had drifted off to sleep. Switching the television off, Sam stood and stretched his arms up above his head eliciting several satisfying pops from his spine. With a pleased grunt, he dropped his arms back down and wandered towards the library. The book Gabriel had been reading was still where Sam had left it after he’d fallen asleep in the chair that day, it made Sam smile as he dropped down into a chair. He tugged the stack of files he’d been slowly making his way through over the last month or so and opened the top one. Little by little, he and Dean had been going through the MoL files and matching their contents up with the contents of the storage lockers and the data already in the database Charlie had helped them set up. It was slow going but now and then there were some interesting things that provided a distraction from the often very boring, dry reading.  
  
When Gabriel woke up again, the television was off, and Sam was nowhere to be seen. Stamping down on his disappointment Gabriel dragged himself upright and reached out with his grace. Was it just him or was it weaker? He couldn’t feel as far as the bunker wards anymore. Perhaps it was this rotten flu, though he could have been leaning on Cas’s grace a bit to boost his own senses. He continued to muse about the possibility that he was far weaker than he realised as he wandered towards the library. Sam always seemed to be in the library, little workaholic moose, and as he drew closer, he felt the warm glow of Sam’s soul come into range of his senses. He paused for a moment, just basking in the warmth that poured out from Sam, even at this distance the hunter radiated calm and caring like few humans could ever match. Unthinkingly, he leaned into the warmth just a little and let it soothe the ache in his throat and cool his fever. The warmth seemed to wrap around him, and that jolted Gabriel back to himself in horror. He reeled back against the wall like he’d been thrown, and braced there panting in horror, _what in hell are you thinking Gabriel?! This is a person you are leeching off of, and he has no idea what you’re doing to him!_ Shame sat heavy in his belly, he had promised himself he wouldn’t do that anymore, no more drawing strength from anything but the earth until Cas came by again and they could nest. He wavered in the hall, going into the library with Sam would be a torturous test of his self-control, especially feeling the way he did at the moment, but leaving Sam to it and going elsewhere? The idea of being completely alone made him uneasy. Steeling his resolve, he made his way to the library door and stuck his head into the room,   
  
“Hey Sam,” he waited for Sam to look up from whatever he was working on before he continued, “I’m gunna go outside for a bit, get some rays, work on my tan.”  
  
He watched Sam suppress a smile, “sure thing Gabriel, come get me when you’re hungry, and I’ll find something for lunch ok?”  
  
Gabriel had to stamp, hard, on his instincts, “sure thing Samarama,” he winked and ducked out of the room before he could give himself away somehow. He quickly made his way to the entrance of the bunker, out of range of the warmth from Sam’s oh-so-bright soul and away from temptation. He yanked off his slippers and pushed his way out into the sunlight. The cold from the storm the night of his arrival seemed to be a thing of the past now, and the sun beat down on him with glorious heat. He paced around the boundary of the bunker till he felt the warm glow of Sam in the library and then walked out and away from it until it was so barely on the edge of his perception that drawing from it would be impossible. Once he could ‘see’ Sam but not feel him, he deemed himself safe from temptation and sat down on the patch of grass he’d ended up in, off in the distance he could see the clump of trees where he and Cas had walked, was it really just yesterday? It felt like so much longer than that, so much had happened in so short a space of time. Did humans always feel the passage of time like this?! How terrifying a concept it must be. The heat from the sun was beating down on the top of his head, and sweat was slowly prickling on his scalp. It was a moment's work to yank his appropriated hoodie over his head and bunch it up to use as a pillow. Laying back in his t-shirt, he rolled the legs of his jeans up a bit and then spread himself out on the grass. Tracing his fingers over the tiny strands of energy he turned his face up to the sun and sighed in contentment, he could feel Sam far off in the library, bumping around from shelf to shelf and revelled in the feeling of being alone but not totally. As he lay there he could feel the radiant energy from the sun pouring into him, not all of it could be used to restore his grace, but the great bulk of it could be used to help push off the sickness in his vessel somewhat. Humans weren’t wrong in the idea that getting out into the sun could be healing, the energy it produced could only be partially absorbed by their souls, but it was enough to help some people. As he lay there feeling Sam wander back to his chair, he contemplated the merits of stripping down to his underwear versus the concept of humans and their social rules about public nudity. The advantages of having the sun on more bare skin won out on his consideration for human sensibilities, and so he stripped out of his jeans and shirt, folded them and then lay back in his previous position. With more of his vessels skin in contact with creation his grace reached through more easily to connect with the earth and the sunlight seeped into him at greater volumes, he drifted into the energies and sighed in contentment. Wings outstretched to their full span on either side of him he pushed his awareness just to see how far he could reach. Nowhere near as far as he’d have liked, sadly, but the blissful sensation of being fully connected to the space around him muted the sting of his own weakness. Time drifted out of Gabriel’s mind as he lay basking in the warm sun, for a while he lay on his belly, as though hugging the earth but he always wound up back where he started, spread-eagled in his back with his face turned up to the sun. It was only because he was still fully connected with the energy of creation around him that he didn’t jump out of his skin when he heard Sam quietly clear his throat. He had noticed Sam moving towards him of course, but it hadn’t really registered in his mind that it meant Sam was coming to talk to him till Sam coughed softly to get his attention.  
  
After Gabriel had left the library, Sam had knuckled down and gotten three or four files done before he really surfaced again and remembered it was more than just himself in the bunker at the moment. A quick glance at the time had him feeling guilty for vanishing into the work for so long, it was well past lunch and Gabriel was still sick. He pushed himself up from the desk with a yawn and headed towards the front door. First thing, find the Archangel, then, apologise and appease him with food. This turned out to be easier said than done, Gabriel had not just wandered out from the bunker, he’d apparently walked around to the back of it too. When he finally did spot Gabriel he had to pause for a moment, he was stretched out on his back in the sun, chin tilted up and limbs lax and languid in contentment. He was also not wearing anything but his underwear. Sam stared, he knew he was staring, there was an Archangel lying practically naked ten paces from him, how could he not stare? He moved a little closer and cleared his throat softly to announce himself in case Gabriel hadn’t heard him approach. The archangel shifted slowly and blinked one eye open lazily to look up at Sam, Sam swallowed, his mouth had gone dry suddenly for some reason. Gabriel continued to stare up at him out of his one open eye, mischief beginning to creep into his gaze,   
  
“Cat got your tongue mooseketeer?”  
  
That jolted Sam back into his right mind a little, and he coughed again, “You’re getting sunburnt,” he blurted out, his eyes caught on the ragged looking scar near Gabriel’s sternum.  
  
“Only a little,” Gabriel purred as he closed his eye again and stretched in his supine position, arching his back and pointing his toes before going lax again with a pleased groan. It was true, the heat from the sun had begun to burn the skin of his vessel somewhat during his hours of inattention, but it wasn’t enough to be painful yet. He turned his head to look at Sam, Sam who was staring at him with a strange, unreadable look on his face. “So,” he moved to sit up, “whatcha come searching for li’l ol’ me for Sam-bam-thank-you-ma’am?”  
  
Sam swallowed again and shook himself mentally, _get a grip, Sam! So angels have no concept of modesty, get over it, it’s nearly two in the afternoon, and you need to get him some damn food! Jeeze that scar looks painful. Don’t ask him, Sam!_   
  
“Uh,” _oh good Sam, English now please,_ “I didn’t realise how late it was, sorry, I forgot to stop for lunch, so I figured you were probably hungry,” he gestured toward the front of the bunker, “you should come in and have something to eat, and some water or you’ll end up with a headache.”  
  
Something about the way Gabriel had been lying, blissed out and prone in the sun made Sam more aware of how good it felt beating down on his skin, so he turned his face up into the sun while Gabriel stood and pulled his shirt and jeans back on. He felt some of the tension from the last two weeks seep away and his shoulders drooped as the tension bled out of them. It felt good to soak in the warmth for a moment.  
  
Once he was dressed, Gabriel turned to speak to Sam, but he paused, watching as the stress and tension bled away from Sam’s face taking years off as they went leaving him looking both more relaxed and younger than Gabriel had seen him the entire time he’d been here. He was loath to disturb him, but right then his stomach decided to voice its protest at not having been filled sooner. He hadn’t noticed the hollow feeling that indicated hunger while he’d been drifting but, now that he was up and moving again, it made itself known with a loud gurgling sound that made him want to cringe in embarrassment in a way that his near-nudity only moments ago had not. Weakness, it seemed to scream, such an obvious manifestation of his weakened state. Sam, however, just grinned down at him at last and indicated toward the bunker with a tilt of his head,  
  
“Lunch then?”  
  
And just like that, Sam put him at ease, “lunch,” he agreed.  
  
As they sat and ate a light lunch, Gabriel couldn’t seem to shake the memory of the way Sam had turned his face into the sun and how the years had just seemed to melt away from him. An idea began to percolate in his mind, and as they finished clearing away the dishes they’d used he cleared his throat to get Sam’s attention,  
  
“So,” he tossed the tea-towel onto the bench, “I was thinkin, I wanna go back outside and make the most of the rest of the daylight,” Sam nodded at him and hummed in understanding, “but I don’t wanna go alone. So I figure, if you bring some of that stuff you’re working on outside, then you can work, and I can relax, and we both win, right?” He held his hands out with his palms up in a ‘whaddaya say?’ motion and waited for a response.  
  
Sam chewed his lip for a moment in thought, to do what he was doing he needed the storage room and easy access to the books in the library. Gabriel’s suggestion was a good idea, but it wouldn’t really work. Something on his face must have given him away because he saw Gabriel wilt so, before he could say anything, Sam jumped in, “I can’t really do that but I’ve been working half the day anyway, why don’t I just grab a book instead?”  
  
It worked, Gabriel’s face brightened, and he nodded, “sure thing Samaramma! All work and no play makes Sam a dull boy after all,” the toothy grin that followed made the awful nickname more bearable and Sam quickly ducked down the hall for his book. By the time he made it back to the door Gabriel was already barefoot and waiting for him so he gestured for the Archangel to go ahead of him and they wandered out into the sunlight.  
Once he’d picked his spot, Gabriel wavered for a moment as Sam promptly stripped off his flannel and plopped down on the grass with his book. Without looking up from the pages he said,   
  
“You can go all ‘one-with-nature’ again if you want,” and, Dad help him, he even did air-quotes.   
  
Gabriel wanted to giggle but, instead, he stripped back down to his underwear and spread out face down on the grass using his folded clothes as a pillow. He turned his head to the side so that the sun shone down on the exposed side of his face and hummed in delight as the heat began creeping into him. He felt, rather than saw, Sam look up at the sound as he stretched his arms out to the sides and pressed himself closer to the precious energies running beneath this bright patch of grass.  
  
Sam looked resolutely at his book as Gabriel stipped down and laid himself out on the afternoon sun, stretching out lazily, like a cat sunning itself. For the most part, he succeeded, right up until he made that tiny sound of contentment. Then Sam had to look. He watched as Gabriel sunk further and further into the blissed-out state he’d seen the Archangel in earlier that day. His limbs went lax and his face, angled towards the sun, was the picture of serenity. Sam envied that peace for a moment and then went back to his book. After an hour of squinting to try and read in the bright afternoon sun, he gave up on the book altogether and stretched himself out beside Gabriel. Shutting his eyes, he tipped his face up into the warmth from the sun and let out a sigh of his own.  
  
Gabriel drifted. As long as Sam was focussed, it seemed, his soul coiled in close to its own core only reaching out to touch the things that held his attention, in this case the book. So, when his attention wandered to Gabriel for a moment, he felt the blissfully warm ropes of energy trail along his awareness. Everything within him ached to reach back and partake of what was being offered and so it took every ounce of his considerable control to ignore them and reach instead for the heat of the sun that was so similar and yet not enough. It took all of his not inconsiderable skill to remain still and relaxed as Sam’s eyes bored into him for those long, excruciating moments. Sam was not aware of what his soul was doing and as such could not consent to sharing the energy he had with Gabriel. So, Gabriel would resist, he would take nothing from the boys except what he could not avoid. Finally, finally, Sam looked back to his book, and his soul let go of Gabriel. He sunk further into creation in relief until he felt Sam set his book aside and lay back in the sun with a sigh. He slowly turned his head and opened an eye to look at him. He watched as the tension oozed out of Sam and he watched as years disappeared from his face.  
  
“Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last longer.”  
  
Sam hadn’t even twitched, let alone opened his eyes, and yet, he’d know he was being watched.   
  
Sam cracked an eye and blinked at Gabriel once before closing it again, “I’ve been hunting a long time, I might be human, but I did pick up a few tricks along the way.”  
  
Gabriel considered for a moment and then, dug through his jeans for the phone he was sure was still there. Leaning up on his elbows he snapped one picture, then two. A smile bloomed on Sam’s face and he chuckled and Gabriel hurried to snap a few more.  
  
He cracked an eye and squinted over at Gabriel, “I was kidding you know,”  
  
Gabriel shrugged, “too late now Samshine, I have proof that you know how to relax and that you are capable of smiling,” he waggled his phone at Sam who just rolled his eyes and went back to his previous position.  
  
They stayed out until the sun began to drop behind the horizon and the cold began to creep up. If Sam noticed Gabriel shiver and gave him his flannel to put over his t-shirt for the walk back, well, there was no one around to see so what did it matter.  
  
That night, when he was in bed and dosed up on cold medicine even though the cold seemed to have loosened its hold on him, he opened his phone and stared at the pictures he’d taken that afternoon in the sun. He would swear on his grace that he could see Sam’s soul in the photographs. Soft tendrils of light reaching out towards the camera, towards him, he pressed the lock button sharply and put the phone down. He coughed once and turned onto his side, the old shirt of Sam’s that he had absconded with that first night was lost to the washing now so he’d probably never see it again. He curled up a little in the shirt he’d worn all day, maybe he could find some way to steal it back from Sam, after all, he still had the hoodie. He only spared the wards on his door one final glance to reassure himself that they were active before he rolled to face the empty side of his nest and let himself drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There, I told you I had a surprise for you all.

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to my sweet fiance for being my Beta, you are an angel whom I adore! Also thanks to my other beta! You, my dear, are a fucking gift! Without you this would probably be a trainwreck of dropped commas, missed words, missed letters or spaces and fucked up dialogue tags! You have the patience of a saint and I thank you for it xx


End file.
